Loop! The Vanguard
by Tanglemorph
Summary: Yggdrasil is broken, and Time is Looping so that the damage can be repaired. As follows are the Loops that take place in the world of CardFight! Vanguard. And things do not begin smoothly... Now hosting the Future Card! Buddyfight Loops!
1. Яeverse the Loops

[TangleKat]

Path Detected

UNIVERSAL SUB-DESIGNATION 2037

SEED: HUB-LIKE WITH EXTRASOLAR WORLDFORM

CURRENT STABILITY OF BRANCH: 12%; LOOP CURRENTLY REGISTERED AS "READ ONLY".

STABILITY OF BRANCH WITH VIABLE ANCHOR CANDIATE: 62%

WARNING: POSSIBLE VIRAL ENTITY - DESIGNATION "Void".

WARNING: CORRUPTION OF PRIMARY ANCHOR CANDIATE BY "Void" ENTITY. WARNING: CORRUPTION OF SECONDARY ANCHOR CANDIDATE BY "Void" ENTITY.

ERROR: CORRUPTION OF ALL ANCHOR CANDIDATES BY "Void" ENTITY.

LOOP DESIGNATED NON-VIABLE DUE TO VOID ENTITY. QUARANTINE OF LOOP SUGGESTED.

LOOP NOW REGISTERED AS QUARANTINED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Thoth stared at the text that was currently scrolling across his screen. He had been working on fixing the stability of the Yu-Gi-Oh Loops – primarily the loops anchored by Candidate Yuya – and had come across a previously un-accessed part of the oldest loops. Unfortunately, it seemed that the new data was partially damaged, and it had been registered as a variant until it could be repaired further.

And that was when things began to get interesting. He had turned to the back-ups stored in the Hub – trying to repair the data in the hopes that it might clear up some memory and allow for a smoother expansion period in the latest link – and had come across a backup hidden behind the information he had been searching for.

Intrigued, he had set his intern to watching over the main loops while he himself had begun to search for this hidden branch. And after quite a bit of effort, he had done it. However, some sort of virus seemed to have locked him out of the world altogether. And now it was registering infection of the various candidates… this wasn't good. He needed a good set of Anti-Virus software.

But he wouldn't give up. The curse of being a god of Knowledge was that burning desire to learn and catalogue as much as possible. And it was that same burning desire that drove the ibis-headed deity to salvage as much of this loop as possible. The potential loss of this world, and the release of the virus… it simply wasn't an option, when so much information – information that could stabilize so many loops – could be lost.

Maybe Slepnir could lend a copy of the Old Man Henderson software…

* * *

Thoth stalked into the break room, poured himself a glass of wine – the good stuff, from old Eygpt – and sat down frumpily at one of the tables. His irate mood was enough to send some of the other Admins nearby scattering for other tables – preferably tables where they wouldn't be turned into baboons.

"I vow this, Slepnir Lokison – when I ascertain your current location, you will pay most dearly for this unfortunate absence. Preferably with many rolls of urinal tissue draped over your console. And baboons running rampant in your sleeping quarters." If ibises had teeth, Thoth would be grinding them in rage. He had been unable to find the eight-legged deity, and no-one else seemed to be available – save for the debuggers, but going to them was always a bad idea.

With a loud sigh, he drained his glass to the dregs and wiped the scant drops that remained off of his beak. "I will require more alcohol – preferably one with a very high proof – when all this has been… dealt with."

Upon returning to his console, Thoth realized that he should have placed more safeguards on the virus that had infected (or somehow grown from) the Loop. Instead of merely being locked out of the Loop, his entire terminal was now almost completely locked down. A foreboding black circle glowed with an ominous red light on his desktop, and it was a miracle that whatever it was hadn't spread to any other Loops.

Yet.

His concern for the virus's effects growing rapidly, he sat down at his keyboard and began to type.

REQUEST LOG-OUT

LOG-OUT DENIED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

REQUEST SERVER LOG

SERVER LOG DENIED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

ACCESS MAIN CODE

MAIN CODE ACCESS DENIED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

It was clear that the virus was much more prolific than he had originally assumed. It had written itself into the code as a moderator; if left unchecked it would likely spread across the multiverse and could lock down all of Yggdrasil.

"Twice-taken son of - !"

ACCESS ADMIN FUNCTIONS

INPUT USERNAME:

ibisknowledge

INPUT PASSWORD:

ACCESS GRANTED. FUNCTIONS LIMITED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

LOCK ACCESS TO MAIN SERVER

SERVER ACCESS LOCKED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

LOCK ACCESS TO NETWORK

NETWORK ACCESS LOCKED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

ACCESS PERSONNEL PROFILES – ACCESS CODE 09.01

ACCESS DENIED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

ACCESS MODERATOR PROFILES

ACCESS DENIED. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.

Thoth massaged his temples and glared at the green code. In particular, at the error message that followed each attempt at cracking down on this virus. He had been able to restrict the virus's access – _"with very little force required… suspcisous"_ he thought warily – to the server and the network. But if it came down to it – if he had to choose between saving the Loop or saving Yggdrasil from the virus…

There would be no choice at all.

SAW&amp;R($Q(R(A

WARNING – FILE CORRUPTION. VIRAL ENTITY DETECTED.

ACCESS MEMBER PROFILES

** ACTIVATE PROTOCOL ЯEVERSE**

** ЯEVERSE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.**

* * *

Thoth stared with growing horror at the crimson words emblazoned on his screen.

** ЯEVERSE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.**

How? How could it have done this? There was no way that the virus could have done this. Not even if it was sentient. Granted, there were many sentient viruses in the multiverse, but none should have been able to infect Yggdrasil like this.

It was simply impossible.

It was in this condition that Hermes found the ibis-headed deity. He'd heard Thoth's oath in the break-room, but this… to find him Locked out of his own terminal and staring transfixed at the screen…

"Crap. _Thoth, what did you do?!_"

The god of knowledge turned empty-eyed to his fellow Admin. "It got into the profiles. Every profile I had for every Looper. They're probably infected by now. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. If anyone tries to log in, they'll be Locked out too. And I, for all my knowledge, can do nothing."

Hermes blanched. Thoth wasn't being long-winded. Thoth was always long-winded. A non-long-winded Thoth was a very bad thing.

And since the closest terminal was down, the only course of action was to contact everyone. On foot. Or at the very least, on winged feet. "I'm going to get help. You… uh, you stay right here. Keep an eye on things. I'll be back."

And with that, the god of messengers sped out, hoping against hope to make it in time.

* * *

WHAT DO YOU MEAN "HE INFECTED ALL OF THEM?!" Skuld's screech almost blew out Hermes eardrums, and he had to brace his legs in order to avoid being blown backwards.

"Exactly what I said. Thoth was trying to get a branch online, he found a virus in it and it somehow got out of the system and into the various Looper profiles. He doesn't know how, and it's broken him so badly that he's speaking normally. What did you think I meant?"

Skuld ground her teeth. "Do you have _any_ idea what the outcome of this will be? Or what Belldandy will do to you when you tell her what's happened to her precious boyfriend?"

For the second time in an hour, Hermes' face went white. While the Norn of the present was normally a soft-spoken and gentle-hearted individual, she was very defensive of Keiichi. And since his profile was logged with the other Looper profiles…

Crap. Again. A thousand times CRAP. There was no way this could get worse.

"I'm not looking forward to this. Not one bit."

* * *

Quetzalcoatl sighed as he watched the code on his terminal flow by. The serpentine god of wisdom had worked in the IT department until a minor mishap had somehow ended in his becoming Thoth's intern. He was certain that it was intended to be a punishment, but he had grown to like old-ibis head, no matter how long-winded he could get. Besides, it was fun to keep an eye on the Yu-Gi-Oh Loops. If he got bored, he could always take a close up look by -

** ЯEVERSE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.**

The crimson letters shocked Quetzalcoatl to his core. Reverse Protocol… It couldn't be. That universe had been locked away due to viral infection, and a memo had been sent to all Admins. Thoth couldn't have – unless he didn't – and that would mean –

Bad. This was very, very bad. Barring a full-on delete of all Looper Profiles, there was only one way to eliminate the virus, and it was dangerous at best. At worst?

Their only chance would be to pray. And a god praying was never a good sign.

** ANCHOR PROFILES RESTRICTED. CANNOT BE ЯEVERSED OUTSIDE OF COMBAT.**

** TARGET AWAKE MALICIOUS ENTITY PROFILES**

** MALICIOUS ENTITY PROFILES RESTRICTED**

** TARGET NEGATIVE ENTITIES**

** TARGET CONFIRMED. PROCEED Y/N?**

** YES.**

\- Loop Designation: My Little Pony -

Everything had started out normally. It had been a fairly close to baseline run; only Twilight and Spike were awake, and Twilight had decided to make this a "nickname only" run.

She'd managed to make it up to Trixie's entrance and the incident with the Ursa Major, and then things had…

Trixie had frozen in place and started to glow with a smoky red aura. The unicorn illusionist's eyes had grown dull and distant, with crimson marks appearing like bloody tearstains on her fur.

After regaining motion, she'd defeated Rainbow Dash with ease, and the what-ever-it-was had spread to her friend.

Then the battle had started. Trixie and Rainbow had begun to fight – and defeat – anyone who came near them, and the defeated gained the aura and markings.

If that hadn't been bad enough, an ominous black ring – a ring that pulsated with an eerie red light – had begun to open in the sky, with a star-filled void barely visible through it.

Dodging a frantic villager's attempt to attack her, Twilight began to reach into her pocket for OWL.

And then froze, because all of a sudden she couldn't access her Pocket. It was still there, she could feel it, so it wasn't like Eiken's lockdown – and upon trying a Detect Magic spell from the Dungeons and Dragons world, she found that her Loop Abilities had been locked as well.

"Lock."

Twilight turned to face Trixie – the source of all of this. "What's going on here? What did you do?"

Trixie laughed. It was a horrible, terrifying and insane laugh. "Link Joker has come. All will bow before the might of Яeverse! Your pathetic magic is useless compared to the power of Lock! And this paltry world will fade, just like all others."

The Unicorn Anchor frowned, lowered her head and pawed at the ground threateningly. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't care. I WILL defeat you, and I WILL save my friends. You don't know this world, and you don't know me."

With those words, Twilight threw herself into the fray.

\- Loop Designation: Naruto -

"Seriously? Sasuke, what is wrong with you?" Naruto dodged a Chidori, and prepared to counter it with a Rasengan. "I have no idea what the heck this "Reverse" is, but you can bet that I'll stop it. There's no way that I'll lose, even if I don't have my Pocket or my Loop Abilities. I'm smart enough to beat you all by myself!"

Sasuke shrugged and let the energy flow into his Susanoo. "Whatever. Since it's here, I might as well go with it. Maybe it'll shake things up around here. I mean, how many times have we had this fight now? I'd say that they're already countless."

\- Loop Designation: Star Wars – Prequel Era -

Anakin gasped as the dark energy flowed into him. Palpatine's strange and unexpected power hadn't been there a moment ago. Something had happened in Yggdrasil…

"Yes, my student. Bow before the power of Link Joker!"

Anakin had to smile at that. "Are you so certain that I will be overcome?" He straighten, the shock of it already fading. "This power pales in comparison to the Dark Side!" Loop Abilities? Who needs them? Strength of will – a strength built up over countless years of Looping – was all it took.

\- AdminSpace -

Admins everywhere were bolting to their terminals. Viral activity had been identified in nearly 200 worlds already, and more cases were being confirmed by the minute. While most veteran Loopers (and some rookies) were able to stem the tide, the fact that this virus had gotten in and begun Locking everything down was a terrifying thought.

The Valkyries and other warriors had been sent to contain the Loopers native to the Host World; while Admins seemed to be resistant to infection, it was a sobering thought that the world could be infiltrated at all.

Quetzalcoatl glanced at the area around his terminal. Everyone was busy attending to their Loops, but it wouldn't last for long. Determination set on his scaly face, he opened a browser and began to type.

_ ACCESS PROFILE: AICHI SENDOU_

_ ACCESS PROFILE: ARMETH (BLASTER BLADE)_

WARNING: LOOP HAS BEEN QUARANTINED. CONTINUE? Y/N

_ YES._

PROFILE: ANCHOR CANDIDATE AICHI SENDOU. PROFILE: SOUL-BONDED ANCHOR CANDIDATE BLASTER BLADE.

_ ACTIVATE LOOP AND CANDIDATES; RUN BASELINE LOOP FROM POINT 160._

** WARNING: INVALID OPERATION. CONTACT MODERATOR "Void Agent" FOR ASSISTANCE.**

_ DESIGNATE PRIMARY CANDIDATES AS ANCHOR_

ACCESS GRANTED. CANDIDATES "Aichi Sendou" AND "Blaster Blade" DESIGNATED SOUL-BONDED ANCHORS.

_ RUN BASELINE LOOP POINT 160_

ACCESS GRANTED. WARNING: POSSIBLE INFECTION OF ALL ACTIVE LOOPS BY VIRAL ENITIES "LINK JOKER. CONTINUE? Y/N

_ YES._

LOOP DESIGNATION: CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD ACTIVATED. RUNNING FROM POINT 160.

** TIME UNTIL LINK JOKER UNIT INFILTRATION - 59:32:71**

[OracleMask]

"Tremble in fear, puny mortals! For I, Strong Bad, shall destroy you all with the power of Яeverse!"

Strong Bad shouting about his next 'evil' plan wasn't a strange sight in the House of Strong. But the extra red marks and the shadowy power was new. Strong Sad shared a confused glance with Strong Mad.

"**BROKEN?**" Strong Mad asked.

"Maybe," Strong Sad said, shrugging, "I've never seen him like this before."

"Hey! Don't ignore me! Put up your dukes, we're gonna have an old-fashioned Strong-Bad-Kicks-The-Crap-Out-Of-His-Brothers-And-Maybe-Also-The-Cheat-Fighting...Fight, here!" Strong Bad yelled, shaking his fists at his brothers.

"**BRAWL!**" Strong Mad yelled obligingly, punching Strong Bad into the nearest wall.

"...anybody got the plate of that...sassafras..." Strong Bad dizzily mumbled from his new position in a crumpled heap, seeing stars floating by his head.

Strong Sad scratched his head in confusion, noting that the strange markings and power were now gone from the middle brother of the House of Strong. Huh.

The Anchor could only wonder: what had that been about anyway?

[Leonite]

Of course, given that this started on Thoth's terminal, one would assume the loopers having the most trouble with it would be those of the Yugioh Branches.

"Exodia, Obelisk, Slifer, Ra, OBLITERATE!"

"I use Diffusion Wave Motion with my Neos Wiseman! Attack all of them!"

"Even without my Stardust cards you Яeversed don't stand a chance! Junk Warrior, Nitro Warrior, Turbo Warrior, Road Warrior and Drill Warrior, unleash the power of warriors past and present!"

"Shining Number 39: Utopia Prime, unleash your special ability."

"It's a good thing they fight in crowds, huh Astral?"

"I sincerely doubt they could beat us regardless."

... you'd be wrong.

[TangleKat]

\- Loop Designation: Ace Attorney -

Apollo Justice struggled to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat, unwilling to stare at the person in front of him.

His friend. His mentor. His Anchor. Phoenix Wright. One of the most morally upstanding Loopers in the multiverse, and a veritable genius when it came to solving mysteries. Phoenix was the sort of man who would relentlessly pursue the truth, no matter where or when he was needed.

And yet... Phoenix stood there grinning like the Joker himself. A smoky red aura... the dull eyes and crimson facial markings... it stunk of this "Яeverse" thing that had cropped up over the last hour or so. How the ace attorney had been infected was a mystery, but like the others, he had been going about and challenging everyone he came across to a puzzle.

Stupid fused Loop with Layton. Why, of all times, had it happened now?

Those who had lost had joined Phoenix on this mad crusade, all for the sake of Яeverse. He'd seen Miles fall, Tracy had been done in with an on-the-spot dance contest... was there no way to win?

The young attorney slapped his cheeks hard, wincing a little at the pain. No. This wasn't the time to consider such things. Phoenix may have joined the Яeverse due to a fluke, but there was still hope somewhere. A good lawyer never gives up on a case, after all.

\- END SNIP -

[Crisis]

"Bass?" Rock, known to much of the world as the Mega Man, blinked as he walked into Light Labs' on-site kitchen. "...Are you aware that your face markings are red?"

"Yeah," Bass replied calmly as he continued washing dishes that Roll, also known to much of the world as the Mega Woman, handed to him. "Some piss-ass corrupting thing calling itself the 'Яeverse' for some lame-o named Link Joker or whatever. Honestly I just stopped listening to it after a few seconds. I mean, it's not like I need an excuse to beat on you or anything, but I prefer to do it on my terms, maybe pops's if I'm in a good mood, not some piss-ass coward's who can't even be bothered to show its face. Make no mistake, I'm going to want an epic throw-down after this blows over, but for now I'm just not giving this thing the satisfaction."

Rock blinked and shrugged as he walked over to the towel laid out next to the sink and grabbed a dry dishtowel. If Bass said he could handle it, he probably could. "I'll dry."

[Purrs]

Christine glared at Erik as he strangled her fiancé. She had had _plans_ for this loop, and that was the only reason they had let baseline come this far. She didn't _like_ letting people die, and now they had, and it had been for nothing.

He had been dousing himself in self-pity as usual when his face gained these strange red markings. Raoul came in right on schedule, which was probably the only thing saving her at the moment.

"Stop it!" she demanded, but it was too late. Erik's now-feathered shadow began to boil the lake as he dropped the body, glowered at it, and set it aflame for good measure.

He turned to Christine, eyes blazing, paused, then frowned, glancing behind him. "Sorry."

"I'm not speaking to you for the rest of the loop, maybe the next one. That was absolutely horrific." She turned and strode away.

"But -" He hesitated. "I suppose that's fair."

[SeaOfFallingStars/Pax]

Pandora knew the her branch was safe thanks to Vector's terminal to chat with her. Didn't change the fact that she wanted to go find Hestia and cry.

"Are you okay, Pandora?"

Thank the universe she knew when to appear. Getting up from her terminal (which had a growing collection of toys that she asked the Norns to get whenever they were in their loop, notably a well-painted Vector) she all but lunged into Hestia's arms.

"They solved the problem on their own in the worst way possible."

Stroking the crying goddess, Hestia saw the input from Vector on her terminal:

Lady Pandora, Ultra Magnus led a team to activate the Universal Killswitch. They modified it to cross into all subsets I was supporting and took out the Яeverse infected Transformers.

"It's alright child, it's alright. Your domain is safe, and your charges solved the problem."

"Doesn't change the fact that Vector and I had to fucking watch them commit multiversal genocide. Not even Ares at his worst advocated such a thing."

"I know child, I know."

[Crisis]

Johnny Bravo whistled as he strolled down the street. Things were looking up in the Loops for him. He's gotten over his obsession thanks to that Mega Dude, Rock taking the time to look past everything and see something worthwhile in him and he'd even started making a few friends like that Taylor chika. Heck, one of his best buds had started looping recently too. Sure, Carl Shocker was a scrawny geek and could be a bit annoying and eccentric at times, but Johnny still kinda liked the guy. They were bros for life. Several of them in fact.

"Johnny, help!"

Speaking of the dude...

"Pops has gone crazy!" the local young genius dashed behind Johnny to hide. Considering how much muscle Johnny had on him and how thin the guy was, two of him probably could have hid behind Johnny. Maybe three.

And close behind him was Pops, the diner cook of... questionable ethics (to put it lightly). Sporting red markings under black eyes and grinning like he'd found his latest ingredients.

"You shall be Яeversed for Link Joker!" the man yelled crazily as he leaped at Johnny in an aggressive frenzy.

Johnny simply got into a stance, called up the power of his patent-pending Broforce, and punched the man in the stomach. Pops's eyes bugged out from the blow and the red marking and blackness over his eyes appeared to just pop off his face and shatter into dust.

"Now, ah, what was that all about?" Johnny blinked in confusion behind his ever-present shades. Did he miss the signs of a weird variant when he Awoke again?

[TrueZero2]

**Ratchet and Clank  
**  
It had been a somewhat normal Loop thus far, Drek had been thoroughly defeated and the Protopet Fiasco had been stopped cold. When it came to the Tyhrannoid War though, things had gotten out of hand quickly.

After arriving on the Planet Florana and going through the Path of Death as per usual, Qwark had suddenly gone crazy (which, considering Qwark currently thought he was a monkey, was quite the achievement) and started swinging at Ratchet.

"What the heck Qwark?!" Ratchet shouted, trying to fend off the former Galactic Hero.

"Ratchet. Look at Qwark's eyes." Clank replied. Looking closer, Ratchet noticed the red marks running down the sides of Qwark's face.

"What the…" Ratchet said, nervous. The two of them may have been some of the younger Loopers by comparison, but even then this was entirely new.

"Link… Joker…" Qwark growled as a blood-red aura appeared. "Fight…"

He lunged at the duo, roaring as he did so.

**Avatar: The Last Airbender  
**  
"What's the matter you two?" Azula asked as she bathed the courtyard of the Boiling Rock in blue fire. "I bet you weren't expecting this kind of power!"

"What's with her?!" Sokka asked the team's resident Firebender as the two of them took cover behind some nearby debris.

"No clue. But that aura's making me nervous." Zuko replied, "Look at those marks beneath her eyes too. You're the Anchor, Sokka, have you come across anything like this in the Loops?"

"Nope! Brand new and hating it already!" Sokka shouted, "Plus we can't access our Pockets so we're stuck with Baseline skills!"

"Yeah, that Lock thing she used is really starting to get on my nerves." Zuko said, quickly popping up and firing off some Lightning, only for Azula to disperse it easily.

"Not bad little brother, but I'm afraid that it's not good enough." Azula said, "When I'm done with you, the Avatar's next, and then Father after that!"

"What, are you planning to overthrow our Father?" Zuko asked, running to some larger cover.

"In a way." Azula replied, "I'm not part of the Fire Nation anymore. I'm fighting as part of the Link Joker Army,"

With that, she fired off two large lightning bolts, shattering Zuko's cover.

"and soon enough, Zuzu, you will be too."

**Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger**

"This isn't good, Marvelous." Joe said to his captain as the two fought a much stronger Barizorg.

"Tell me about it." Marvelous replied. For some reason the cyborg had a strange ring of energy floating behind him and some markings had appeared beneath his one visible eye.

"For Link Joker!" Barizorg declared as he rushed towards the two Gokaigers.

[AbZHz101]

Legend had endured some abysmal variants before, but this one was looking to take the proverbial cake! It had started normally enough. Like always when Cynder wasn't Awake he had freed her at first opportunity a not-so-chanced (on his part) encounter, Dante's Freezer. Then running through the "Gaul, King of Terror" phase. He couldn't recall doing something that would have upset the balance this badly, and he knew it wasn't because of Sparx as he seemed to be alone this Loop.

Yet... for some reason, upon being freed from Crystal, it seemed that everything had gone to hell. Malefor's armies ravaged the land as per usual, though what was not usual was the fact that the areas that the Dark Master's armies the vanquished would then join their oppressors. And there were Black Rings forming in the sky... they had covered most of the world. The only currently untouched area was the countryside in the shadow of the great City of Warfang... And even there a dark presence lingered. The civilians scurried about their tasks with hunched shoulders, the militia scanned the bleak horizon for the inevitable. Mutterings of doom hung in the air.

Legend sighed. What to do? What could he do? It was only by the Ancestor's grace and intervention that he was able to stop Malefor at Loop's End, but this could not continue. The attack was soon coming. He had to make a decision now. But what good would it be to stop Malefor and doom the citizens? Things had already turned far bleaker than they should, there would be no guarantee that by toppling the head, he snake would also die... this was more of a Hydra. Kill one, two more grow. Why did it always have to be him? He never asked for this DAMN IT! He never asked for is scales to be purple, for responsibility far beyond his age, to be an Anchor! S

Shaking, Legend indulged his silent rant to the heavens. Then he put it to the side, because it wasn't getting him any answers. His worry spent, his mind drifted back to that damning phrase of lost wisdom, "The Purple Dragon Shall Guide the Fate of the Era." It would be by his choices, by his action or inaction that the world would turn. There had to be a way... there just had to. He needed to take down Malefor, that much was certain. It was the reason Ignitus had hypothesized he was born. But to do it without care for Warfang would result in its destruction as surely as leaving the gate open when he left.

The city while temporarily defensible could not survive forever. ...But then, the citizens were never in Warfang at Loop's End, were they? They were always in the tunnels. The same defensible tunnels that had one-way locks, where the only passage though was too small for great numbers to mean anything. Could they survive indefinitely? Perhaps not, but they shouldn't have to. Once Malefor was stopped, the driving force behind this war would be gone and they could finally regain lost ground. Spyro smiled, it wasn't a perfect plan, but it was one they could enact quickly, and hopefully it would be good enough. It didn't have to be perfect, just good enough.

The Elders had been suitably uneasy when Legend had presented his solution to them, seeing it for the Final Gambit that it was. But perhaps it was the hope in his voice, or the look in his eyes that was far too old-one that let them know Spyro understood exactly what he was asking of them, that finally made them agree. ...And now here he stood, alone-having quietly hidden away the Chain that magically bound Cynder to him-against the full might of the Dark Master's Armies. His body quaked. His breathing slowed. His eyes snapped open. He struck.

His body was a blur, the embodiment of nature's wrath. Fire danced; Electricity sparked; Ice encroached; Earth rose; Magma boiled; Steam hissed; Plasma shrieked; a hole opened in the forces and the dark warriors turned to see the cause. Spyro was all but in Fury, lashing out, carrying the full weight of the dying hope of his world on his back. So the consciousness controlling them decided to have him be crushed by it. A word reverberated throughout the army, "Lock." And Legend stumbled. How? How could he be cut off from the elements - No, not cut off - it was if there was a great expanse between him and them. One which would not be bridged in the time he had. As a show, the conscious sent forth the mightiest of its forces, the one that had granted it power over the masses. The first, greatest of its servants on this miserable planet. It's Alpha, and what would now be its Omega.

Legend hyperventilated as the impossible came and with it Malefor himself stepped forward to challenge him. To challenge another Purple with no powers? Not even fools would dare it. This Loop... it was wrong. As if someone had rewritten the order of things halfway through without care for the consequences. Malefor's blows were stronger than ever before. In desperation, Legend cried for the strongest defense he could think of. Earth and Ice. And to everyone's greatest surprise, one of his oldest compatriots leapt to his aid as the battlefield became covered in Crystal.

Legend blinked , finding himself in a white void. Blank. Did he accidentally set off a Loop crash? "Not quite." A voice said from behind him. Legend twisted to see... another dragon. At first glance one might mistake the dragon as an electric dragon, but the scales were deeper, fuller, more regal. Gold on Purple.

"What are you?" Legend asked.

"That's a tricky answer," the dragon replied. "I guess you could say I'm a portion of your mind that represents your connection to the elements, so both you and not you at the same time in a way."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Legend asked, unfortunate memories of what happened the last time his emotions had shown up jumping to the front of his mind.

"No, not particularly," the other replied with a shrug.

"Then why..."

"Because you needed time to think about what just happened and a pure void would have actually been counter-productive," the Gold replied with a smirk that Legend knew too well from Classic.

"What happened? I just had my connection blocked and called out in desperation," Legend said slowly.

"And an element responded. One you've known for quite a while now, in many ways," was the reply.

Then Legend's mind clicked. Ice and Earth. Crystal. Order. To remain the same even in the face of overwhelming change. The other half of Time.

Crystal and Plasma. Fire, Electricity, Ice, and Earth. Time. Convexity. Were they one and the same?

"Time is but a facet of the monolith that you know as Convexity. One to which you specifically are attuned. While we might not be able to access our fullest powers now, we will never be separated unless you will it."

Legend's eyes lit up. "Then..." Time only nodded.

The Crystal shattered and all seemed as it was before. Legend took to the skies, Malefor in hot pursuit. Victory was in its clutches. Then the world held its breath, and a pulse of power rang out from Legend's body. And in one moment he was about to be snapped in half by Malefor's jaws, the next he was diving on the adult's exposed back, slashing through and cutting his wings. In any other Loop this probably wouldn't have worked. But in any other Loop, Malefor wouldn't have expected Legend to be powerless. Then Legend Crashed down on the armies and finished his job for the Loop.

[MrEgret]

This isn't good, Mickey thought to himself, as he blocked another bolt of magic heading towards him and his friends. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Goofy dragging an unconscious Donald off to the side of the battlefield. Sickly green flames cut off all avenues of escape, and he couldn't get at his Subspace pocket, so departure by Gummi Ship was right out. Internally, he was kicking himself for not having a second one ready to go.

He didn't know exactly how Maleficent got this powerful, or what was up with the red marks on either side of her face, but with his Looping abilities sealed and Sora and the others nowhere to be found, he wasn't taking any chances.

Maleficent cackled at the display of concern Mickey and Goofy were showing for their fallen comrade. "Do not concern yourself, you poor fools. Soon, he'll have gained power beyond his wildest imagining, as my apprentice..."

You wish, you horrible old hag! Mickey thought grimly. Out loud, he asked, "Well, how did you get this strong in the first place? I know you're just dying to tell us, so go on! Indulge yourself!"

"It's simple," she purred. "I was blessed with this strength by my new master, Link Joker. I will drown the worlds in Heartless, and claim Kingdom Hearts in his name! Together, we will create a new, glorious world, where the powers of darkness are TRIUMPHANT!"

Mickey hefted his Keyblade and moved to strike, when suddenly, Goofy pointed at Maleficent. "Hey, hold on a second. How did Link Joker give you that power in the first place?"

Maleficent's expressions soured. "I was a fool. I tried to manipulate him into becoming my servant, but he turned the tables on me. That is the only thing that cheapens my inevitable victory over you: that I had to resort to a consolation prize to do it."

"So...you got those crazy markings because you lost a battle of wits with this Link Joker feller?"

"Yes," she ground out. "Now, what is your point, you buffoon?"

Goofy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe we can resolve this all peaceful-like with a game."

Maleficent raised her staff to smite the impudent dogface, but the idea of humiliating her opponent even further appealed to her on some level. "You have my interest, worm. What are your terms?"

"A-hyuck! It's easy! I'll ask you three questions. If you can answer all three of them, then we'll surrender. If you miss even one, then you let us go free."

Mickey just stared agape at Goofy. What was he DOING?! Doesn't he realize what's at stake?!

Maleficent smirked. "Clearly, you must not think very highly of your freedom. Very well. I accept your...challenge. Ask your questions."

Goofy nodded. "Okay! Question number one: What...is your name?"

Mickey suppressed the urge to groan. He could tell where this was going.

Maleficent just stared at Goofy. "You would make a fine court jester in my new kingdom." she said flatly.

"Just answer the question, ma'am."

Maleficent snorted. "I am Maleficent, queen of darkness, and commander of the Heartless legions!"

Goofy seemed entirely unperturbed. "Question two: What...is your quest?"

This time, Mickey really did groan. Maybe I should just stab myself with my Keyblade, and get it over with.

Maleficent spread her arms wide. "To make the worlds succumb to Darkness, and rule over them in Link Joker's name!"

Goofy's expression didn't change a whit. Mickey shuffled away from Donald, so he didn't get any blood on him when he stabbed himself. He pointed the Keyblade at his heart, and closed his eyes. I'm sorry it had to go this way, Mins. I'll make it up to you next Loop.

"Okay, Miss Maleficent," Goofy drawled. "This is your last question. What...is the capital of Assyria?"

Maleficent confidently opened her mouth to answer, before suddenly stopping short. "What?"

Mickey opened one of his eyes a crack. Wait, what?

At first, Maleficent could only stare at Goofy in surprise. She slowly turned away from the Disney Loopers, while appearing deep in thought. Mickey thought that he could hear her mumbling under her breath.

For a few moments, the only movement throughout the clearing was the dancing flames.

Presently, Maleficent's shoulders began to shake. A low growl began to build in her throat. Goofy grinned.

Suddenly, Maleficent spun around. "You wretched, flea-bitten, mangy, misbegotten mutt!" she snapped. "Fine. I concede. What is the answer?"

Goofy shrugged. "Heck if I know, ma'am. That's why I asked you! A-hyuck!"

Maleficent snarled in unbridled rage, raising her staff high, and beginning to chant some black incantation. Mickey felt as much as saw the tremendous ball of magical fire gathering at the tip of her staff. "Oh, this is going to hurt," he whispered to himself.

Then, the ball of fire fizzled out, and Maleficent suddenly staggered, holding her head with her spare hand "Urgh...what is happening...?" she groaned.

Suddenly, the red marks on her cheeks vanished in a puff of dark smoke, and the fiendish aura that was surrounding Maleficent up until this point winked out of existence. When she recovered enough to glare at the Disney Loopers, here eyes had their natural pupils again, and she held herself like the proud dark sorceress that she was.

"If you tell anyone about what has transpired here tonight, your suffering will be legendary even within the bowels of hell," she hissed, before vanishing in a burst of green flame. The fire surrounding the battlefield died down almost immediately.

"Well," Goofy drawled, "I guess that takes care of that."

Mickey slow got to his feet, and shuffled over to Goofy. "Goofy?" he croaked.

"Yeah, Mickey?"

"I don't know whether to strangle you or hug you, so I'm going to settle for a chokehold."

"Yeah, that sounds fair."

When Donald finally regained consciousness, he saw Mickey holding Goofy in a rather uncomfortable-looking headlock while shouting angry-sounding gibberish. He decided not to ask.

[TangleKat]

The world seemed to flash white, and Aichi found himself standing next to The Void Agent _(which was weird, because hadn't they just been fighting?)_ watching Suzugamori Ren fall to Kai's Reverse.

"Well, that was anti-climactic. And here I was _so_ sure that Ren would win. Isn't it funny how things turn out? Of course, I should hardly be surprised. After all, Kai _is_ my chosen one." Even if they had just fought, Aichi found that he was more than willing to fight the parasite again, if only to stop the sound of that smarmy, self-absorbed voice.

"I won't let you win. I won't let everybody down, not when they're counting on me." _Naoki, Shingo, Kourin, Misaki, everybody… I promise that I'll stop him. I promise I'll end this nightmare.  
_  
The Void Agent sneered, contempt clear in his _(they should be Takuto's)_ mismatched eyes. "You will, will you? I can't wait to see how this turns out – what shall I do to you when I win, I wonder? You've proven that you won't fall to Reverse, so maybe I'll just take your strength like I took this body."

Some unbidden dread roiled in Aichi's stomach. A feeling of dread and anger of unknown origin, of indignant rage and unrelenting fury. "Or maybe I'll find a way to purge you and restore Takuto when I win." Deep inside his core, Aichi felt the familiar whispers of Psyqualia; of the mysterious clairvoyance that bound him to the Planet Cray and its fate. "I owe him that much for helping me."

The Void Agent waved a hand in the air nonchalantly and smiled a grim little smile as the playing fields manifested from the signature smoky red aura of Link Joker. "We shall see, won't we?"

Resolve set in his heart, Aichi quickly shuffled his deck and set it down. Across from him, the Void Agent was doing the same. Would this fight be the same as the last one? Would it be completely different? Either way, he was determined to succeed. To once more _(even though it hadn't happened yet)_ break up the black ring that hung over them like a foreboding cloud. Shaking his head, he set his starting unit face down on the Vanguard Circle and drew five cards.

"If you're ready to fight and to stop daydreaming, I'll start things off."

Both fighters reached for their face-down cards, hands at the ready. Their dual cry rang out over the rooftop, thunder crashing overhead. "Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Liberator, Cheer-up Trumpeter!" Aichi smiled; whether Royal Paladins or Gold Paladins, neither had ever given up on him, even when he had given up on them. Together they would fight and win. The angelic warrior manifested in a burst of light, with a determined face and trumpet at the ready.

The Void Agent on the other hand… He seemed a bit off-put by the Unit he had Ridden. "Skeleton Soldier, Яeverse Defiler!"

That one was new. It was some sort of rotting skeleton, and only crimson markings on it's face showed that it was a Яeverse Unit. If the Void Agent wasn't using his usual Star-Vader cards… This might get very ugly. Aichi banished the thought from his mind. Right now, there was a battle to focus on.

"I draw!" Placing the new card into his hand, the Void Agent mused over his options with pursed lips. "I suppose I'll Ride… Dractyl Яeverse! And just to keep things interesting, I'll call Stelgar Яeverse to the front left!" A red bird-like thing took the place of the skeleton, with a green-and-blue starfish Creature appearing next to it.

"Since I can't attack you on my first turn, I'll end things there. Your turn, _Aichi_. Oh, did I surprise you with my new deck? I can assure you, nothing can stand up to its power."

"I highly doubt that." Aichi drew one card and resisted the urge to frown. Only one Grade 1 Unit was in his hand right now; there was no other option open right now. "I ride Halo Liberator, Mark!" The red-clad dark haired warrior shimmered into being, resolve clear on his face. And as there was currently only one way forward… Turning Mark's card onto its side, he made his intentions clear. "I attack Dractyl with Mark!"

**Mark – 6000 Power. Dractyl – 7000 Power.  
**  
The Void Agent was, true to form, quick to act. "I'll guard that with Brawler Zyler Яeverse! A steam-powered golem manifested and took up a defensive position in front of the bird.

**Shield – 5000 Power.  
**  
Aichi grimaced. With that shield, things would be pretty difficult if he didn't get a trigger this turn. "I check the Drive Trigger." With bated breath, he reached for the top card in his deck and turned it over. In the top-right corner of the card, a six-pointed gold star winked at him. "I got a Critical Trigger. My Vanguard gets +5000 Power and you take two points of Damage this turn." The golem shattered, and the bird screamed as it was hit.

The Void Agent growled. "That was a lucky draw. I suppose I'll have to Check the Damage Trigger." He reached for his deck and checked the top two cards; the top-right corner of each was blank. "No Trigger."

Aichi released the breath he'd been holding and composed himself. Two damage on the first turn was a good start. But it likely wouldn't stay that way for long. It was best to be constantly on guard. "That's the end of my turn. You're up."

The Void Agent smiled. "Thank you for the kind words; I might even put up a statue in your honor after I raze your planet to the ground!" Drawing one card, the dark entity added it to his hand and selected one.

"Time to turn up the heat! I Ride Pyromancer, Chandra Яeverse!" A leather-clad young woman with blazing hair took Dractyl's place. "And just to make sure I get you this time, I'll call Van Bloot Яeverse to the Rear Guard!" An aqua-skinned humanoid with blue wings took up position behind the woman. "Attack! Chandra is boosted by Van Bloot!" He turned both cards sideways, grinning eagerly.

"I guard with Liberator of Hope, Epona!" Aichi frowned; hopefully the beetle-riding girl's shield would hold off the Void Agent's attack.

**Shield – 5000 Power  
**  
The Void Agent wagged his finger at Aichi, almost as if he was reprimanding his opponent. "Tsk tsk, when will you learn? There's nothing you can do to stop Яeverse; you might as well accept the inevitable. I check the Drive Trigger." The Agent reached for his deck and drew one card; he turned a cold, proud gaze upon Aichi. "Draw Trigger. Five Thousand power to my Vanguard and I draw one card." Placing his prize in his hand, he took another card from his deck. "I suppose this will come in useful. Now then… I believe you have a damage trigger to check?"

Aichi gulped and reached for his deck. Turning over the top card, his eyes widened imperceptibly at the blank corner that stared back at him. "No Trigger."

The Void Agent laughed. "I thought as much. And for my next move… I'll attack your Vanguard with Stelgar."

Aichi glanced at his hand – he had used his only Guard, and he had no other units on the field to intercept with. "No Guard."

The starfish hissed and spat a stream of water at Mark; the warrior groaned as the blast hit full-force.

**Stelgar – 6000 Power. Gets +2000 when in the front row.  
**  
Aichi flipped over the top card in his deck. The blue mark in the top right would have been useful on his turn, but… "Stand Trigger. +5000 Power to Mark and he Stands." Aichi switched Mark from the horizontal "Rest" position back to the vertical "Stand" position.

"That should save you some time; now you'll lose even faster!" The Void Agent was laughing again, eyes focused on the ever-expanding black ring overhead. "Your defeat should open the ring completely; soon Link Joker will arrive, and this pathetic planet will be ended!" Sighing with pleasure, he smiled manically at the teen. "I end my turn."

Aichi reached for his deck and paused. "Why?"

The Void Agent just stared at him. "Why what? Why am I going to destroy your planet? Is that what you're asking?" When Aichi nodded, the parasite glanced over to Kai – Kai, who hadn't said a word since defeating Ren, and who was now watching to proceedings silently. "Because of what Link Joker has to gain from it. Because the destruction of your planet and of Cray will feed us, make us stronger. Because it's what we do. What other reason would we have? Well, that and I simply _adore_ the sight of beings struggling against their fate, only to be crushed at the last minute."

"That's wrong!" Aichi's anger burst out of him. "I could understand it if you were trying to help your race. I wouldn't condone it, but I would understand it." He clutched his shirt, just above his heart. "I won't let it continue!"

* * *

Queztalcoatl focused intently on his screen. The battle had begun in earnest, and the intern was currently absorbed in the code that was running across his screen. "Show yourself. This thing couldn't get out on its own, so I know you're there. It's just a matter of time before I find you."

The serpentine god didn't even hear the door open, or the footsteps that paused just behind him. And neither did he notice when the presence behind him disappeared.

* * *

**37:57:34 – TIME REMAINING UNTIL LINK JOKER INVASION.**

* * *

The wind screamed around the two Cardfighters, echoing the mood inside Aichi. From below the skyscraper and from within it, those who remained un-Яeversed watched and anxiously awaited the outcome of the fight.

"You won't let it continue? Ah ha ha ha! You crack me up, Sendou. Really, what chance do you have at surviving in this battle? You're already strained from losing to Kai; one false move and that ever-so noble heart of yours will give out." The Agent laughed, amused to no end by Aichi's heroics. "In fact, it might be fun to watch you writhe around in agony before taking your last precious breath."

Aichi shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line and his eyes clear and focused. "That won't happen. I won't give you the satisfaction of my failure." What Aichi didn't say was that the strain on him had mysteriously vanished at the moment Ren had fallen. He supposed that it was related to the reason why the world had gone white; why the Яeverse deck that the Agent was using was completely different.

"Anyways, it's my turn. Stand and Draw!" Aichi glanced at the card he'd drawn; Fortune Liberator. The shield of **10,000 **would likely come in handy later. "I ride the Liberator of Silence, Gallatin!" The blindfolded knight took Mark's place on the battlefield, stalwartly glaring at his enemies. "And I'll call the Liberator of Royalty, Phallon to the Rear-Guard!" Phallon stood on Gallatin's right, ready to leap into battle.

Aichi turned Phallon's card horizontal. "I'll attack Stelgar with Phallon! And Phallon's skill activates: when he attacks, if my Vanguard has Liberator in its name, he gains 3000 Power!"

**Phallon – 12,000 Power**

Stelgar – 8000 Power

The Void Agent waved his hand nonchalantly. "Whatever. I won't even bother guarding that; thanks for clearing up my playing field."  
Aichi refused to be swayed by the Agent's words. "Next, I'll attack Chandra with Gallatin. Go!"

The swordsman struck at the fire-haired woman, only to be halted by a fish of some kind. "I guard with Hunter Fish Яeverse!"

**Shield – 10,000 + 9000**

Aichi scowled and checked his top card, only to find disappointment. "No Trigger; I end my turn." He hadn't managed to deal any damage this turn, hopefully he would be able to hold out a while longer.

Void stood his Vanguard and drew a card, smiling all the while. "Now it's time to end this battle! I Ride Great Sphinx, Thenien Яeverse!"

This Unit wasn't like the others. While the others had only had the crimson markings of the Яeversed to denote their status, Thenien was clad in black and white armor; black rings gleamed red around his wrists and ankles. And his eyes… they shone with an eerie red light, eyes that were all-consuming and piercing.

"Next I'll Call Phelphor Яeverse!" A weird red fishman took up the Agent's left front position, seemingly normal aside from the markings. "Thenien's skill activates: when I call a Unit with Яeverse in its name to the Rear-Guard, I can Lock one of your Units! Say good bye to your Phallon! _Lock!_"

Aichi covered his eyes as bolts of red lightning flipped Phallon's card over, completely sealing the knight's power and abilities. On the field, Phallon was encased inside twin black rings that gleamed red and spun like a gyroscope.

The Void Agent's face was deranged at this point. "Do you want to know what happens when Thenien's skill Locks a unit?" He began to laugh; a croaking laugh that was disturbing to hear. "Thenien's second skill activates! He gets 2000 Power for every Locked Unit you have in play!"

The Sphinx roared and brandished twin kopeshes – ancient Egyptian swords – above his head.

"Thenien! Attack his Gallatin, boosted by Van Bloot Яeverse!"

**Thenien – 19,000 Power**

Aichi quickly placed Fortune Liberator onto the Guardian Circle. "I Guard!"

**Shield – 10,000 Power + 10,000 Power.  
**  
The Void Agent sneered. "I'm checking the Twin Drive. First Check." Another Dractyl, like earlier. "No Trigger. Second Check."This time it was a small green man in a purple robe. "No Trigger. I end my turn."

Aichi sighed in relief. What with the Grade 3 Twin Drive ability, Thenien had the opportunity to deal massive damage; it seemed that he'd dodged a bullet there.

"I Stand and Draw." Aichi checked over his cards. He had a good Grade 3, but… it was better to save that one for later. A trump card, just in case the Agent had Omega Glendios like last time.

"I Ride Liberator of Bonds, Gancelot Zenith!" The blonde warrior appeared astride his Pegasus steed, prepared to strike down his foe. "And I'll Call a second Gancelot to the Rear Guard!"

Aichi rested the Rear Guard Gancelot. "I'll attack your Phelphor Яeverse with Gancelot!"  
The Agent glanced over his cards, considering his options. "I choose to not guard." Covering his face with a hand, he watched as his fishman was destroyed.

Aichi moved his hand to his Vanguard. "And now I'll attack with my other Gancelot! Target Thenien!"

**Gancelot – 11,000 Power**

Void acted quickly, brandishing two cards. "I'll guard with Dractyl and Bodal! The two units appeared in front of Thenien; although Dractyl was threatening, the green man… wasn't.

**Shield – 10,000 + 10, 000**

Aichi sucked in a breath. "Checking the Twin Drive; first check… no trigger. Second check…" once again, the corner was blank. "No trigger. I end my turn."

The bolts of lightning keeping Phallon sealed vanished. Void's Agent noticed and donned a smug expression. "Even if your Phallon is Unlocked, it won't do anything to help you!" A grim thought seemed to come to him. "Just like you won't be able to do anything to help your friends."

Aichi braced himself; the last time _(if there even had been a last time)_they had fought, the Agent had tried to break the young defender by convincing him that his actions would doom Kourin; what tricks would he pull this time?

"Look at them; they struggle without end, without light. How could you let them suffer like that? Wouldn't it be better to let them forget it all? It won't matter under Link Joker. The world will be a silent place; a place without war or suffering. All will be equals. Isn't that what you want for the world? Isn't that what many humans are striving for?"

Aichi shook his head. "You might make everyone equals, but they wouldn't be individuals. And besides, I've seen what happens to someone with enough will under Яeverse. _(Kamui… Naoki, Shingo, so many people…)_ They become consumed by their troubles; it's better to live with them under the surface than to have to deal with them all the time. And you said before that you enjoy suffering – you'd keep them consumed by those emotions just because it would please you."

Void's Agent shrugged, his eyes closed and a small smirk on his face. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way…" He opened his eyes and narrowed them at Aichi. "We'll have to see what happens, won't we? Stand and Draw!"

* * *

Skuld burst into the room where Queztalcoatl was holed up, startling the feathered serpent badly. "Look, I know what you're going to say. I know that it's against the rules to Activate a Quarantined Loop or to set an Anchor for it. But right now it's the only hope we've got!"

Skuld leveled her spear at the intern. "You've got 20 seconds to explain."

Quetzalcoatl drew a breath. "There's a parasite known as Void; it created an agent and sent it to invade Earth and a planet called Cray in baseline. If the Anchor beats the Agent in a Cardfight, then the effects of Яeverse will disappear across all of the Loops. We can then extract the virus that infected this Loop in the first place and we can end this whole debacle."

Skuld looked at him with an expression of disdain for a long moment. At last, she spoke. "Can you ensure that you get the virus? Or the Anchor's victory?"

The deity's answer was immediate. "Yes."

The Norn of the Future sighed. "We'll discuss your punishment when this is over."

Queztalcoatl saluted her and turned back to his terminal, scanning the code and awaiting the signal that Aichi had won.

Skuld spoke under her breath, almost too quiet to hear. "You had better be right… for the sake of everyone who lives."

* * *

The Agent drew his card and briefly glanced at it. "I call Odu-Bathax Яeverse! And I think that I'll seal away that precious Rear-Guard Gancelot._ Lock!_"

Aichi flinched as his Rear-Guard was flipped over. He could recover from this. It was just a matter of how.

The Agent turned Thenien sideways, followed by Van Bloot. "I attack your Vanguard Gancelot with Thenien!"

**Thenien – 19,000**

**Gancelot – 11,000**

Aichi glanced over his cards. He had nothing to guard with, and Phallon's Intercept – to move to the Guardian Circle – wouldn't be enough. "I don't Guard." This was going to hurt.

"Checking the Twin Drive." Void pulled the first card off his deck. "Stand Trigger. Power to Odu-Bathax, and I'll Stand Van Bloot."

Aichi frowned. The agent wouldn't stand Thenien? Then again, without Van Bloot and with only one Lock, perhaps he though he wouldn't get through. Maybe Thenien lost his Twin Drive once Stood. It had happened before.

"Second Check… No Trigger." The Agent frowned. It was good to see that he had an expression other than manic smiles.

Aichi drew a card to check the damage; a Draw Trigger. "All Power to Gancelot." At least this would hold off Odu-Bathax. "I draw one card." Aichi checked the card… and his heart almost stopped. It had come at the perfect time. An old friend…

The Agent sighed. "We're getting so close to the end… I attack Phallon with Odu Bathax!"

Aichi looked up, startled by the attack. "I – no guard!" With dismay, he placed Phallon into the Drop Zone.

The Agent smiled and leveled two fingers at Aichi. "Next turn, I'm going to defeat you. It's as simple as that."

Aichi ignored the comment and focused on the field in front of him. "Stand and Draw." He glanced briefly at the card; this one would be useful. But first…

"Arise, my Avatar! Call! Blaster Blade Liberator!"

Aichi's voice was full of conviction and strength; as the white-clad warrior appeared, the entire mood of the battle seemed to shift. Aichi's Vanguard seemed to sit up straighter upon his steed, and even the sealed Gancelot pulsed with energy.

The Agent stumbled backwards before regaining composure. "Even with Blaster Blade, you won't win! I'll succeed! I promise!"

Aichi wasn't done. "Next, I'll call May Rain Liberator, Bruno to the Rear Guard!" The youthful archer took up his position behind Blaster Blade, ready to fight. Aichi rested Blaster Blade and Bruno's cards. "I attack Thenien with Blaster Blade, Booster by Bruno! Bruno's Skill: If my Vanguard has Liberator in its name, he gains 3000 power!"

**Blaster Blade – 19,000**

The Agent hastily checked his cards, before declaring his position. "No Guard." With a grimace as Thenien was hit, he checked the Damage. "No Trigger…" Silently, he placed the card into his damage zone with the other two. It was the first Damage that Aichi had dealt since the beginning; with Blaster Blade on his side, things were looking up.

"Next, I'll attack with my Vanguard Gancelot!"

This time the Agent acted quickly. "I Guard!" He placed a Hunter Fish Яeverse into the Guardian Circle.

**Shield – 10,000 + 10, 000  
**  
Aichi didn't blink. "Checking the Drive Trigger. First Check… no Trigger. Second Check… No Trigger."

The Agent breathed an audible sigh of relief before resuming his manic façade. "And with that, your turn ends, am I correct?"

Aichi nodded. Whatever happened next turn, he was certain that this battle was drawing to a close. With his declaration, his Rear-Guard Gancelot UnLocked.

"Then I Stand and Draw." The Agent looked at the card he'd drawn and then at his hand. "I Call Milla'iin Яeverse and Phelphor Яeverse to the Rear-Guard. And with Thenien's Skill, I'm going to seal away your _"Avatar" _and Gancelot. _Lock!_" He leveled two fingers at Aichi, signaling the seal.

Aichi watched with horror as the white warrior's card was flipped over and rendered unusable. He had seen this coming, but… Blaster Blade was as close to him as any of his other friends. They had fought together for so long, and to see him sealed… it brought up the bitter taste of the Asia Circuit's prelude. Of when Void had sealed away three of the major clans, including Blaster Blade.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" The agent's voice was simpering and full of false remorse. "I'm sorry, I should have JUST DESTROYED HIM!"

Aichi refused to tremble. _(Please, wait just a little longer. I know we can beat him.)_ He fixed his gaze upon the Agent, refusing to bend or break in front of the mad parasite.

"Oh well, I'd better continue my turn. I attack your Vanguard with Milla'iin, boosted by Phelphor!"

Aichi kept his gaze level. He had nothing that could defend him; all of his cards could only intercept – which meant that they had to be in the front row. "No Guard. Checking the Damage: No Trigger." That brought him to four. Only two more and he would lose. And he absolutely couldn't lose.

"Next, I'll attack your Vanguard with Thenien, boosted by Van Bloot!" The Agent knew that he was almost there. Almost at the point of victory, and he was preparing to gloat already.

"No Guard." Aichi could only hope that he either got a heal trigger – which would let him remove one damage – or that the Agent wouldn't get a trigger at all.

The Agent eagerly ripped the cards from his deck. "First Check – no trigger. Second Check – no Trigger?!"

Aichi breathed a sigh of relief. "Checking the Damage – No Trigger." He was now at five. He absolutely had to win on his next turn. There was no escaping it; he didn't think that he would be able to hold out much longer.

"My Turn. Stand and Draw."

Aichi looked at his hand; it was time. He'd saved this card for just such a moment, and now it was the only option.

"Descending from the Throne, he takes his place with his knights! Ride! Liberator, Monarch Sanctuary Alfred!"

The Agent's face turned into a mask of horror. "No! It can't be! And I don't have… I won't lose to you!" He was screaming now, his voice raw with the effort. "DO YOU HEAR ME? I WON'T LOSE!"

Aichi stood firm. "Alfred's Limit Break! If I have five damage, I can Counter Blast three" - here he flipped over three of the cards in his Damage Zone – "and Soul Blast two" – and now he took two of the cards beneath Alfred and placed them into the drop zone – "in order to send all of my Locked units to the top of my deck."

The red lightning binding Gancelot and Blaster Blade was shattered, and he placed them on the dictated spot.

"Then I can draw five cards from the top of the deck, and call them to the Rear Guard. Any cards I don't call get sent to the bottom of the deck!"

He drew five cards, and placed four of them onto the Rear Guard Circles surrounding Alfred. "I Call Gancelot, Blaster Blade, Halo Liberator Mark, and May Rain Liberator Bruno!"

By this point, the Agent was frozen with shock. He was going to lose. All of this… gone. It was impossible. An Earthling shouldn't be able to beat him!

Aichi rested two cards. "I attack your Vanguard with Gancelot, Boosted by Bruno!"

The Agent was stunned. He looked at his cards, a defeated look on his face. "No Guard." Checking the damage, he glared at the green heal Trigger facing him. "Heal Trigger; it doesn't apply because you have more damage than me. But Power to Thenien!" That was four.

Aichi rested Alfred. "I attack with Monarch Sanctuary Alfred!" Once again, The Agent didn't guard. "Checking the Twin Drive: First Check, Draw Trigger. Second Check, no Trigger." The agent reluctantly checked the damage; nothing was there to save him. That was five.

Aichi took a deep breath. If this went through, it would all be over at last. "I attack with Blaster Blade, boosted by Mark!"  
The agent screamed as the sword of legend cleaved through Thenien like butter, destroying the vanguard and all of Link Joker's ambitions with it.

* * *

**0:0:09 – TIME UNTIL LINK JOKER INVASION.**

LINK JOKER DEFEATED. INVASION HALTED.

* * *

Quetzalcoatl sprang into action, furiously reaching into the code. With Link Joker defeated, the virus would be stunned long enough for him to extract it.

A tense few minutes followed; the clack of the keyboard and the click of the mouse were all that could be heard. They seemed to echo down the hall and throughout the Host World.

"Done. The virus has been completely eradicated." The announcement was met with shouts of relief and tears of joy from the Admins who had spent many long hours – perhaps days; it was hard to tell – keeping the Loops under their jurisdiction from complete destruction.

Skuld released her breath, and turned to Queztalcoatl. "It has to be quarantined again. Right now, we can't afford for Void to Loop somehow. And we have no idea if it could infect someone past a Loop. You know this."

The serpent deity shook his head. "With all due respect ma'am, that's not entirely true."

Skuld narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Queztalcoatl opened up a page of text on his now virus-free terminal. "As you can see, the baseline extends far beyond the point that the Anchors Looped from. Including the fact that Void's threat was effectively nullified and set for redemption."

Skuld's face was unreadable. "Go on."

The feathered serpent scratched his head with his tail. "In fact, it's the reason why Aichi Sendou was able to fight without the Яeverse affecting him, even though he should have at that point."

Skuld sighed. "I'll bring this before the higher ups, but… "She massaged the bridge of her nose. This was almost too much to tolerate. "If they agree to keep it online, you're the one who'll have to take care of them. You fixed it, you deal with it."

Quetzalcoatl nodded. "Um… may I explain to them what happened? You know, since… everything."

Skuld nodded. "Ten minutes only. That's it."

* * *

Aichi breathed a sigh of relief. The Agent had been defeated and was now gone from this world, and the ring overhead was breaking up. Kai stood beside him, free of the Яeverse; the two had almost fought, though Aichi had been able to talk some sense into his friend before that had happened.

"Are you coming? Or are you going to stand and watch that thing all day?" Kai spoke to him as he began to head for the stairs.

Aichi blinked. "What? Oh, yeah. Coming."

And then the world blinked white. Slowly, a mighty feathered serpent materialized in front of the two Earthlings. Aichi took a step back; was this some new invasion?

The serpent bowed its head, and looked at them with eyes that had seen the rise and fall of countless lifetimes. "Greetings, young ones. I am Quetzalcoatl; god of Merchants, Arts, Crafts and Wisdom."

Kai stepped forward. "If you're a god, then did you come to punish me?" Aichi frowned; it seemed that getting Kai to accept the whole "no punishing yourself" thing might take a while.

The great serpentine deity shook his head. "No. I am here to thank Aichi Sendou, and Armeth – called Blaster Blade."

"Thank us? Wait – he has a name? I didn't know his name?" Aichi felt horrible; Blaster Blade was close to him, and yet he didn't even know his friend's name? How could he live with that?"

The serpent laughed, a deep and welcoming rumble compared to the Agent's twisted laughter. "You could not have known, for how could he tell you?" He cleared his throat, and noticed that the building was close to collapse. With a flick of his tail, a glowing platform appeared beneath them. "But yes, to thank you. Without your actions, countless worlds would have been lost today,"

He sighed, and gazed for a moment at the horizon. "This world, and all others, are linked like a great tree. All that comprises the world – each cell, each stone or star – is contained as data within this tree – a computer named Yggdrasil. I believe you are familiar with such a concept?"

Aichi nodded. One of his first cards was the Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine. A Grade 0 Unit with a heal Trigger. The computer thing was interesting though.

Kai spoke up. "So what, we're computer programs? What happens if there's a virus? What happens then?"

Quetzalcoatl rose to his full bulk. "That is why I must thank you. You see, countless eons ago something happened to Yggdrasil, something that damaged it so terribly that we had to place the various worlds into repeating loops. This would stabilize things until we could repair the World Computer. While we were doing repairs, we noticed that your world had been infected by a virus. Thus, we quarantined it until it could be fixed. However, my mentor uncovered your world accidentally, and tried to start it up. This activated the virus, which by that point had fused with what you know as Link Joker. The virus broke into our terminals, and as a result, Link Joker and Яeverse were spread throughout the various Looping worlds."

Aichi was horrified. "What happened? Is everyone okay? Is the Яeverse gone from there, or do we have to fight it everywhere? What -"

The deity raised his tail to silence Aichi. "Many Loopers – those who are aware of the repeating time – fought and won against the Яeverse. Several even were able to throw off the effects. But no-one who was awake has escaped unscathed. Even several of us gods – known colloquially as Admins – have suffered."

He paused, as if unsure as to how to tell the next part. "So I did the only thing I knew would work. I unsealed the quarantine, and brought your world online. I was unable to access your world directly, and I suspect that the virus only allowed me to do so in order to spread the Link Joker Units around the Loops like some sort of spam."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "So you used him. You used Aichi to freeze the virus long enough to stop it. What if he had lost? What if he had failed?"

The great serpent bowed his head. "If I had been able, I would have lent all the aid I could. I am truly sorry that you had to fight alone, that I put so much pressure on you."

Aichi shook his head. "Whether or not you asked me, if I had known or not – I still would have fought." He brought one hand to his chest. "But… I think that I would have been more worried if I had known. I might have had a harder time." Something occurred to the young defender, and he perked up his head. "Wait… the deck that Link Joker used… were the cards from other worlds?"

Quetzalcoatl nodded. "Yes, they were. From worlds that, like yourselves, contain the presence of powerful cards." He smiled warmly, "Aichi Sendou, and Armeth: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for what you have done. Thank you for saving us."

Kai walked to the end of the platform and looked at the horizon. "I suppose that now that we're 'online' as you put it, we'll remember the resets?"

The serpent shook his head, feathers ruffling in a quiet breeze. "No. I am under examination for Activating your Loop in the first place; I couldn't tell you when your world will next reset. As well, only one person is ever aware of all the Loops. This person is called an Anchor; they are a presence that stabilizes the world and ensures its continued survival. Sometimes two are chosen as Anchors if they are close enough; Aichi and Armeth are the Anchors for this world. I cannot tell you when you will next awaken, but generally people who are close to the anchor begin to Loop sooner than others."

He glanced at an unseen clock. "I'm afraid my time is nearly up. Soon the Loop will end, and from there…" he sighed. "On the bright side, if your Loop is kept active beyond this point, I will be assigned as your Administrator. I will be there to watch over you, and to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Aichi smiled at the serpent. "Thank you for watching out for us. Until we next meet?"

Kai smirked. "Let's hope that things don't get that bad."

The world went white, and everything began to fade.

* * *

Aichi Awoke to Mark-Sensei talking about a great battle – he couldn't quite remember what it was about, but one thing was for certain – it seemed that time was Looping after all. He was back to the day he had first battled Kai, the day everything had begun.

Glancing at his notebook, he was amused to see a doodle of a feathered serpent, with the words "Safe!" written beside it.

It was a new dawn, and the start of many new adventures.

\- END SNIP -


	2. Roar! Buddyfight Awakens!

Something new! The Vanguard Loops will also be hosting the Future Card Buddyfight! Loops. Most of these loops are written by SolarisRequiem; any not by him will be labeled.

Anyways, on with the stories!

* * *

0.0

(Admin Space)

"Are you sure this is going to be a good idea?" Skuld inquired the feathered Quetzalcoatl, "If this ends up like the Vanguard Loops with that blasted virus, it's going to be on YOUR head."

"There are redundancies set up behind redundancies, this world is remarkably stable despite its proximity to the Vanguard Loops. The multiple worlds connected within the single branch will allow us greater compatibility and stability during Fused Loops."

"Aside from the giant tadpole which devours worlds for breakfast. That's going to be my biggest concern here, if that thing were to break loose..."

"I've already set up the necessary patches and fixes required. The Anchor choice should prevent any chance of Yamigeddo or his Buddy from Activating," the serpent hissed in response. Skuld glanced at the terminal's display and tilted her head.

"You're going with Drum for the Anchor? That's an... interesting choice. I would have chosen his human partner for it, but he's not that bad of a choice. Explain your reasoning."

Quetzalcoatl nodded and brought up his several profiles, including one of Gao Mikado who was Drum's human partner. "Gao Mikado, he's overly trusting and I have no doubt in my mind that if a hostile Looper came around he would easily be tricked and might unintentionally allow for damage to be done to the Branch should the likes of Kyubey or Dio arrive. He's only 12 years, which doesn't give me any sort of confidence towards his long-term stability. Not to mention there is a possibility of his proximity to Yamigeddo's partner might cause him to accidentally Awaken the both of them."

The feathered serpent brought up Drum's profile, "Drum on the other hand, has none of those problems. Although there's some personality problems such as a minor inferiority complex, they are things that can be easily resolved within time if they haven't been resolved during baseline."

"There's one problem though," Skuld sighed. "You do realize that Drum's bond with Gao WILL mean that he will get Activated immediately after Drum, correct?"

"I'm putting a soft lock on Gao's Activation until a few more Loopers are activated for the branch to keep him in line. Drum's strong enough to handle a few Loops without his partner..."

"Very well. Your reasoning is solid but I'll be keeping an eye on you. We don't want another Vanguard disaster on our hands." Skuld sighed before she authorized the Activation.

**Loop: Future Card Buddyfight**

**Admin: Quetzalcoatl**

**Anchor: Fang Slade Terrestrial XIV (Drum)**

**Status: Active**

1.01

Drum sighed in frustration as time seemed to reset itself all over again. He found himself back in his tribe's territory a few days before he would set out to the human world on his journey to find his Buddy. The problem was, of course, that this was the third time that he had gone through this reset. The first time around he stuck with doing some minor changes, nothing too drastic but things that made his life and the life of his Buddy Gao easier.

Things like... 'gently' reminding Gao to send that letter to his mother overseas which had prevented both his and Gao's father from laying down the law when he had come to visit. Although he was willing to fight to the death for his partner, Gao was still a kid that needed to learn things.

But now? He wanted to try out some bigger changes and see if he could prevent Yamigeddo from being unsealed in the first place. But in order to do that he would have to get in contact with Tenbu, one of the 8 Omni-lords that had sealed Yamigeddo in the first place, and convince him that he was from the future without becoming the laughingstock of the entire tribe.

Drum considered his options carefully before he mentally cycled through his forms. His Wizard, Battler, Hero, and Omni Lord Forms were available to him as it stood: which was a relief since it didn't mean that he was stuck back at square one over and over again. Also, it gave him some... options regarding on how to convince Tenbu to listen and believe him.

"Welp, time to get this done. I'm missing human food already," Drum grumbled to himself as brought himself to his feet. His bronze armor glimmered in the sunlight as he made the preparations for the long trip ahead.

"What the hell do you want here, daddy's boy," the dragon guard sneered as Drum approached Tenbu's residence. Drum couldn't help but sigh at Alliot's display. The dragon had always held animosity towards him due to his position as the son of the Chief. But if Elliot thought his father was biased towards him on matters, he couldn't have been further from the truth. Oh well, Alliot's opinions didn't matter to him.

"I'm just here to see Tenbu, Alliot." Drum stated. "I'm not looking for a fight here, just get out of my way."

"How about no," Alliot growled as he brought his weapon, a light shield with two drills set in the front.

"Ugh, thought you might say that," Drum groaned before he took a stance. "Get out of my way or you'll get a mouth full of dirt."

Alliot charged with the drills on his weapon spinning rapidly, but faltered as Drum side-stepped the strike almost casually.

"Stand still dammit!" Alliot shouted as he brought up his weapon once more and swiped at Drum, only for the Anchor to dodge the blow again.

"Hell no, I'm not standing still when you're swinging that thing around!" Drum shot back. He had reconciled with Alliot in the future, but when time reset everything was pretty much a waste of time.

But in this scenario, there was only one way to get Alliot to listen to him. Like all dragons, the best way to get past a dragon's thick skull was through fighting. When Alliot charged once more Drum parried the strike with one of his gauntlets, sending sparks flying as Alliot's attack went off mark.

"I said..." Drum grabbed Alliot's armed arm with his right hand. "to..." he grabbed the other arm and kept Alliot from moving out of the way.

"LISTEN!" Drum slammed his armored head into Alliot's own armored skull with a clang of clashing metal. Both dragons were sent stumbling back, but Drum recovered instantly while Alliot was still disoriented by the unconventional attack.

"Listen up Alliot. I don't care about status, and I sure as hell don't care about power. And if you think it's been easy being the Chief's son then you've got another thing coming. All I really care about is recognition from the people that I care about. The rest of you can think whatever the hell you want to think. All that matters to me is to be honest with myself and to live up to the expectations of my dad and my friends. So, let me speak to Tenbu and I'll leave you alone, alright?"

"You wished to speak to me?" a voice spoke in a rumbling bass. Drum and Alliot looked up, before the second dragon hastily knelt before the newcomer. The dragon was long and serpentine rather than humanoid like Drum and Alliot. He was covered in emerald scales and with red and gold armored plating. His helm was topped with bladed horns with a single red jewel in one of his clawed hands that glowed with an ethereal light. This was Tenbu, the Fifth Omni Lord. He radiated immense power within his body that seemed to cow everything around him. But only Drum stood tall in comparison to the strongest being in his home-world.

"L-Lord Tenbu!" Alliot squeaked. "How long have you've been here?!" Drum chuckled softly at the sudden personality shift from prideful and arrogant to meek and subservient that Alliot had undergone.

"Long enough," the elder dragon rumbled.

"Yo, Gramps. I was looking for you," Drum responded casually. Alliot looked at Drum with a look of almost abject horror and disbelief.

"Y-You can't address Lord Tenbu like that!" he hissed, "Show some respect."

Tenbu chuckled good-naturedly, "I don't mind. All the formalities and titles don't mean a thing to me. They're just empty words after all." He turned to Drum and his face grew stern and serious. "Now then, who are you and what have you come to discuss with me?"

Drum cracked his neck before reaching deep within himself for the necessary form. It was showtime.

There was a flash of golden light and a pillar of fire and when it parted Drum had completely changed. The previously brass armor was now jet black and with red flame decals and he hefted a large blade, one as tall and as wide as he was, like it was nothing more than a child's toy. The green cape on his back fluttered in the wake of his transformation while he held a red jewel that blazed with light and power. A jewel that was identical to the one that Tenbu held in his claws.

"Name's Drum, Fifth Omni Dragon Lord. I'm your successor from the future, and I came to warn you about Yamigeddo's unsealing."

Needless to say that Alliot fainted in shock.

1.02

(Future Card Buddyfight)

"So, just to clarify," Tenbu sighed after Drum had finished essentially predicting almost every event in the human world up after Yamigeddo had swallowed them. "You know who unseals Yamigeddo and how he was unsealed..."

Drum shrugged, his armor shifting as he did so. "Yeah, one of the seal-keepers was tricked by a monster impersonating as an Omni Lord. Then he got his memory completely wiped and overwritten afterwards, making him into the perfect servant for Yamigeddo. The only problem is that I don't know precisely when or where he was unsealed."

Alliot had left half-way through it and claimed that he wasn't coming back until 'things made sense again'. Tenbu couldn't fault him; the young dragon had just joined his personal guard and was still acclimating. The shock of the chief's son claiming to be Tenbu's successor from the future was simply too much for Alliot to handle. Drum, on the other hand couldn't care less.

"You bear my emblem," Tenbu stated as he held the crimson jewel in his claws. It resonated perfectly with the gem in Drum's possession as they both gave off a radiant glow; a clear indicator that they were both genuine. "I know that it is impossible for the emblems to be wrong or for them to be replicated."

"So you believe me then?" Drum asked. Tenbu shook his head.

"I require one more... confirmation. For all I know you could have stolen the emblem from me. But if your claim that you inherited it from me is true, then you must have known me personally. If so, tell me something that only I would know. Then I shall fully trust your claim..."

Drum frowned before he combed through his memory for something that would convince Tenbu before he came across something that... well, was pretty private for Tenbu.

"I have something. But are you sure that you want me to tell you?" Drum raised an eyebrow. Tenbu nodded.

"I'm old enough to handle a few shocks." Tenbu replied confidently. The younger dragon didn't look so convinced.

Drum sighed, "Alright then. Don't say that I didn't warn you..." He took a deep breath with Tenbu waiting in anticipation. He wondered what Drum would tell him. Would it be a childhood memory? A password? A name?

"I know you're into human girls."

Tenbu, despite him floating in midair, stumbled and hacked in surprise. That answer was completely and utterly unexpected. "Wh-What?! How did you-"

Drum chuckled at seeing Tenbu completely and utterly caught off-guard and flustered. Regardless he decided to push forward.

"The first thing you did when you got to the human world was to take a human girl as your 'bride'." Drum air-quoted. "My Buddy, well the person who will BE my Buddy in the future, had to fight you to get you to let her go. But even AFTER that you started flirting with girls left and right. Aren't you five-hundred times older than them or something?"

"Alright, alright!" Tenbu growled, his blush somehow visible despite it being anatomically impossible for it to show through scales. "I believe you, I believe you."

"Good." Drum grinned, pleased that the negotiations had been a complete success. It was on his first try too!

"What is you plan then, my successor?" Tenbu asked as he recovered from the rather... personal secret that Drum had told him.

"I need you to contact some of the other seven lords. Make sure to do so privately though: we don't want any of Yamigeddo's people knowing what going on. I can get in contact with Asmodai, Count Dawn, and Miserea."

"You know Miserea's human identity?!" Tenbu asked before he frowned. "Miserea hated fighting. If he reawakened himself... Yamigeddo truly was unsealed, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. It's a lot to take in..." Drum sighed. "Thankfully I'm on good terms with Miserea's human form and Asmodai. But I'll need you to contact Variable Cord, Burn Nova, and Grangadez if you can. But in the meanwhile... here's the rest of my plan..."

12 year old martial arts heir Gao Mikado was catching his breath after he had followed the golden card he pulled from the pack of cards that he had got in class. The rest of the school seemed to be watching with bated breath. He had heard of this: that sometimes that a kid would pull out a golden Buddy Rare card from some random pack to receive their partner, a Buddy Monster. He never imagined that it would happen to him though, much less on his very first pack that he opened!

There was a flash of golden light that sent Gao nearly stumbling back along with a burst of flame that incinerated the grass in close proximity to the glowing light. When the flames receded, Gao looked back and grinned.

Before the boy was a crimson dragon clad in black and red samurai armor. He held a giant sword in his right hand with a confident grin on his draconic face.

"So... you're my partner now, huh?" Gao asked confidently. The Dragon grinned.

"You bet! I'm the Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Fang Slade Terrestrial XIII. You can call me Drum."

"Sweet," Gao grinned back before he wrinkled his nose. "Wait, is it me or is something... burning?"

The two looked around them, and were greeted with the signs of a sudden brush fire that had been created when Drum made his appearance.

"I'm so getting detention for this..." Gao groaned before the two tried to frantically extinguish the flames.

"But it was cool, right?" Drum chuckled as he assisted his Buddy in putting out the sudden fire.

"Totally worth getting in detention for!" Gao laughed.

Drum grinned as he began to snuff the flames with his sword. This was certainly one way to start off a meeting this time! He made a good impression with Gao and announced his presence as the Fifth Omni Lord. All was going according to plan.

1.03

(Future Card Buddyfight)

Drum was bored. Bored with a capital B. As a Buddy Monster he wasn't allowed to attend classes with Gao, and as a result of that he usually ended up wandering around the school campus bored out of his mind. Thankfully for him, it seemed that everyone in this universe was aged a bit older this Loop. Rather than being in their early teens, Gao was a freshman in high school rather than in elementary school/middle school. It reflected in a lesser way with his other forms, his 'mini' form was now teenage in size and age rather than being a toddler in stature. It was a change that he had hoped carried over for the next few resets. It was nice being taller and a bit stronger when not in a Buddyfight.

"Ugh, I might bore myself to death at this rate..." he groaned as he finished up his lunch at record speed. He lay back on the grass and watched the clouds passed by, trying to think up ways to occupy his time.

Join the Kendo club? He already had done that a few resets ago, and he quickly ended up as the Captain of the Kendo team due to his fighting experience.

Train some more? He was already doing that but he needed something else when he was NOT training.

Monster Fight Club? The last time he tried that everything had ended... explosively. The fact that almost every other monster had their full powers restricted when not in a Buddyfight match was also problematic. He did not want to get in trouble with the police this early in the Loop.

"Why does Gao spend so much time in school?" Drum grumbled. "Seriously, I'd probably die if I spent seven hours every day sitting there and listening to people talk on and on and on... And not to mention the 'homework'! Why does he even go there?"

The dragon got up as he dusted the grass and dust from his armor and body. There WAS one way he could use to occupy his time. After all, he saw other Monsters time and time again actually play Buddyfight by themselves. And since that card game was pretty much the thing that the world revolved around, and the fact that he had nabbed some of Gao's better decks and stored it in his Emblem last Loop, he decided to try something different.

He dug through his memories to find the fastest route to the local card shop and promptly made his way there. He had five hours to kill after all.

"Ugh. Where's Drum?" Gao muttered to himself as he searched around the campus frantically for his Buddy Monster. He had been looking for the red dragon for the last 15 minutes, but there was not a single sign of him being anywhere near the campus.

"I told him to stay on the campus. Where could he have gone..." the student growled. Gao's scratched his crimson hair as he tried to figure out where Drum could have possibly gone. He had already called his parents; neither of them had even seen him.

Did something bad happen? Did Drum get in a fight again? Just as Gao trying to figure out what happened, a familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Yo Gao! Sorry I'm late. I got held up at the card shop!"

Gao turned to Drum, his eyebrow twitching in rage. "I told you to stay on Campus! Where did you..." Gao took a double take at Drum, the trophy that the dragon was carrying proudly in right hand, and the booster pack box that he casually held under his other arm. Gao pinched himself to see if he was still sleeping in class. Ow, he wasn't dreaming.

"Where did you get those?" Gao asked as he rubbed the arm that he had pinched a bit TOO hard.

Drum shrugged casually. "The card shop was hosting a small tournament. I won and got these."

"Do they even allow Monsters to participate in Buddyfights?"

"I've seen it done a few times before. The people at the card shop stopped asking questions after I showed them that I had a deck and I was using myself as the Buddy Monster."

"And you completely swept the tournament."

"Yep! But unfortunately I don't think I'll be going back there for a while." Drum looked a bit sheepish and guilty. "I think that I didn't hold back enough. I caused few people quit Buddyfight for good."

"That... sucks. But I'm sure they'll be back though!" Gao sighed before he looked towards the large box that Drum held in his arms. "But anyways, let's get that box cracked open when we get home. I wonder if we can get anymore Buddy Monsters with us. Can a human have more than one Buddy?"

"Yep, you just can't use two Buddies at the same time." Drum replied as the two made their way home.

"I attack you with myself for 2 critical damage. I win." Drum grinned.

"Grah!" Gao shouted in rage before what seemed to be a black rain cloud of despair appeared above his head.

"Um. Gao, you alright?" Drum asked cautiously. This was the fifth time in a row that he won, and Gao seemed to have his spirit completely and utterly crushed. To be honest he was starting to feel extremely guilty. He had watched Gao's play-style throughout the resets: he knew how he thought and what strategies he used. Not to mention that Gao hadn't really gained that much experience due to it being this early in the reset. Apparently he hadn't held back enough.

"My Buddy is better at the game than me... My Buddy is a better player than me..." Gao repeated in monotone, drawing small circles into the carpet. There was a dark aura of despair that dimmed his usual enthusiasm down to a haze of melancholy and sorrow.

"O-Oi. Just relax. I have a lot more experience fighting than you do. It just carried over a lot more into Buddyfight than I thought originally."

Drum stored his deck back into his Omni Lord Emblem as he pat Gao on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. After a few minutes of coaxing, promises to help him and give him tips to improve, Gao recovered enough to become semi-coherent.

"Alright now that that's out of the way, let's crack open the Booster packs." Gao declared with a fire in his eyes, "I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I'm going to beat you someday!"

"Good!" Drum grinned, pleased to see that Gao had regained his fiery demeanor. With a deft claw, he opened up the booster box and scattered them across the floor. Gao joined him in opening the dozen or so booster packs and organizing them into piles.

"Alright, I got a few Ancient World Cards here." Gao said as he set them aside. "Those are the... juggernaut type of cards right?"

"Yep. Ancient World has a lot of strong monsters, really difficult to get on the field but a pain to get rid. Legend World has stuff like Vampires, Knights, and other stuff from mythology but they're more diverse." Drum replied as he set aside his opened booster.

As he opened another pack he pulled out a few spell cards with a familiar symbol on them. It was a six-pointed star that filled Drum with a small, tiny, amount of dread.

"Hey, isn't that Magic World?" Gao asked as he peered over Drum's shoulder. "That's the one with the weak monsters and strong spells and abilities, right? A kid from class uses it."

"Yep," Drum replied as he felt a pit in this stomach grow. If he knew his luck...

"Please don't be who I think it is. Please don't be who I think it is..." Drum desperately prayed as he pulled out a card from the pack that glowed a bright gold.

"God dammit! Not again-"

Gao laughed his ass off as he headed to school the next day. Behind him was his partner becoming the target of affection for a very amorous dragowizard by the name of Qinus Axia. The baby blue dragon was currently showering the armored red dragon with affection, much to Drum's annoyance and chagrin. The wizard was wearing what seemed to be a black robe with what seemed to be one of those hats the college graduates wore. He had bright cheery eyes with a crystal monocle on his left eye.

"Oh my prince, you're here at last. I missed you so~" Axia crooned as he nuzzled Drum's cheek. Gao didn't even bother hiding his laughter. This had made up for the time that Drum had absolutely crushed him during the games they played last night.

"When a dragon says no, they mean NO!" Drum growled as he tried to pull the affectionate wizard off of him. He had enough of the clingy stuff from Axia during the original timeline! Although he did personally save Axia's card from being burned to a crisp and being thrown overboard, the blue dragon was being way too... cuddly for his liking.

"Well I'm off to school. Have fun you two!" Gao shouted as he ran and left Drum with his new Buddy.

"Wait! Don't leave me with him!" Drum whined as the Gao left the two of them alone. As soon as Gao was out of sight though, Axia's smile fell from his face and he let Drum go almost immediately. Drum froze instantly as the wizard relinquished his grip without needing physical persuasion.

"Alright then Drum, what's going on? We weren't supposed to meet each other this early," Axia sighed. "As much as I love to see you again I know that you know that something's up. You're weren't nearly this powerful the first time we met."

"W-wait you remember-"

"That witch trying to burn my card, you leaving Gao with me in order to get stronger, and trying to find my own Buddy but failing. I remember everything. And it's clear that you seem to remember everything as well."

"Yeah, I do..." Drum replied as he scratched his head. "It's best if we talked inside. I'll fill you in the details from what happened after you left Gao and I."

"Good! You can regale me in all of the tales of how you became so strong and handsome~" Axia crooned as he grabbed onto Drum's arm with a vice grip.

"Oi! Let go of me!" Drum growled as he tried to pry Axia off.

"Nope! I want to make up for lost time. Besides, you look absolutely adorable when you are flustered."

"We're both guys dammit!"

"I hate when you fuss over the small details."

Drum growled but it seemed to lack its previous annoyance as he gave into being the current cuddling target of the dragowizard. But unseen by Drum Axia looked on towards him with a knowing look and a gentle smile.

He would be more than happy to assure Drum that he wasn't alone in this... time reset issue. Even if he tried to hide it, Axia could tell that Drum was relieved to see a familiar face. It was the least he could do to pay Drum back for everything he did.

1.04

(Future Card Buddyfight)

Tasuku Ryuenji, former member of the Buddy Police and the best friend of Gao Mikado, bolted upright in bed. Cold sweat dripped from his brow as he tried to catch his breath. His heart was pounding and his mind was racing as he entered a complete and utter state of panic.

Memories flooded his head in his panicked state as his mind tried to cope with the completely and utterly disorienting feeling of having two sets of memories shoved into his head. His head felt like it would split open and hysteria began to seize his body.

A flash of golden light suffused his quarters as a single card dissolved into light, swirling around the gasping teen like a golden cloak. In milliseconds it coalesced into into a radiant dragon, covered in golden armor that glowed with latent energy. The dragon's skin glowed like an emerald star as he immediately closed in on the convulsing human.

"Tasuku!" the dragon quickly shifted into a smaller form, shedding his high-tech armor for simpler metals and weaponry as he got closer. The glow from his body and armor vanished instantly as he got closer to his convulsing partner. "Tasuku. Calm down. I'm here."

The young boy gasped as the two made eye contact, the smaller dragon laying his hands on Tasuku's shoulders. "Calm down. I'm here..." the dragon replied. "Breathe in and out."

The boy quickly followed and he inhaled and exhaled slowly, his heart and mind beginning to cease its chaotic movements and process information properly.

"J-Jack?" the blue-haired boy gasped. The dragon nodded before gently touching his forehead with his partners, comforting him with his presence.

"Breathe in and out. Calm yourself," Jack repeated slowly. Tasuku followed suit, taking in a shuddering breath in and out according to his Buddy's instructions. After a few moments Tasuku had completely calmed down.

"I-I'm fine now... Thank you Jack," Tasuku replied as Jack nodded in satisfaction. He took a seat next to the pale human and looked up towards him.

"Do you need some water?" Jack asked patiently. Tasuku shook his head.

"I-I'll be fine." Tasuku calmed himself. "But... how are we here? We were-"

"On the Moon attempting to reseal Yamigeddo." Jack finished for Tasuku. "The sealing failed and Yamigeddo swallowed everyone. But then I woke up here with you panicking."

Tasuku shook his head, "This... doesn't make any sense. Was it all just a... dream?"

"It was not," Jack rumbled. "I was able to access my Star Dragon form before I came across you. Whatever happened in that 'dream' was real. The question is... where exactly are we?"

Tasuku looked around and froze. Although it was in the middle of the night, he recognized the room he was in. He reached just to his right in the darkness and flipped the switch that he knew was there. The lights came on almost instantaneously, revealing Tasuku's quarters in the Buddy Police residence.

"This is... back in the Buddy Police base. How is this possible?" he asked himself as he got out of bed. His legs, still weak from the shock caused him to almost stumble and fall over, but Jack was there in an instant, having shifted into his larger form to support Tasuku.

"One step at a time. Don't strain yourself," Jack said as he helped Tasuku to his feet.

"But I was discharged from here by disobeying orders from the Commander. How are we here?"

"That is a good question. But I think we are in the past. Look at the calendar."

Tasuku did so, and was shocked to see that they were, indeed in the past. The calendar was behind by at least a year which was the last nail in the coffin of Jack's statement.

"How is this possible... Did you-"

"No. It is possible for me to travel in time, but doing so requires an enormous amount of energy in order to do so. When the fight with Yamigeddo came, I had not stored up enough energy for a second jump."

"Then how did we-"

"Tasuku. Rest, you're still under strain from manifesting the card that brought us to the moon. We can discuss things in the morning. We have all the time in the world for now."

Tasuku wanted to argue but found himself silent and slowly agreeing with Jack's proposal as the mental fatigue began to set in. For now, the best course of action would be to wait until morning before planning their next move. He pulled the covers around him, Jack keeping a watchful eye on him as he embraced a dreamless slumber.

Once he was reassured that Tasuku was fast asleep Jack shifted into his larger form to keep an eye on Tasuku in case of any more nightmares were to appear. But it was a short while before exhaustion claimed him as well and Jack fell asleep alongside his partner. Whatever had happened, they would handle it.

Together.

"So you and Jack remember everything as well?" Drum asked the human and Monster duo. Drum had sensed that something was up when Jack had arrived in his Star Dragon form, and especially when Tasuku had looked a bit more... melancholic than he remembered him being this early in the timeline.

"Yeah. Neither Jack or I know what is going on," Tasuku replied as he drank some tea. Drum had convinced Gao and his parents to talk in his Buddy's private dojo. Here they would be able to talk about... time-related shenanigans with ease. Gao was tackling his homework, Gao's mother was preparing dinner for the entire family including Jack and Tasuku, and Gao's dad was still working.

"So far I've been through... 12 of these resets or so," Drum replied casually as he munched on a few snacks that Gao's mom had provided. "I've done a bunch of things. I've gotten all of the Omni Lords assembled together early, faced Kyoya Gaen and his Buddy Azi Dahaka down solo and WON," Drum ticked off with his fingers. "I even swept through the entire ABC cup on my own without Gao's help."

Tasuku blinked, "That's... pretty impressive. By chance is Gao-"

Drum's expression darkened and he looked down at the wooden floor of the dojo. "No. He hasn't remembered anything yet. You and Jack are the second and third people to start remembering the resets."

"Who was the other person?" Jack inquired, preferring to take his larger form due to the wide space in the dojo.

"Qinus Axia, you know the Dragowizard that I helped back on Kyoya's cruise-liner. I was just surprised to see him remember things first rather than, well, Gao." Drum closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm... sorry." Tasuku apologized as he looked away.

"Don't sweat it. It's not your fault. It's just that..." Drum recollected himself opened his eyes. "No matter what I do, no matter what things I change, Gao never seems to remember them. My bond with him feels so... one-sided nowadays. I know nearly everything about him. What his favorite meal is, his favorite song, what happened with his brother... But every time I see him I have to grin and pretend that I don't even know him. It just... hurts whenever I look at him. I want to show him so many things, share everything I've learned about the resets but I can't. From his perspective I just met him. From mine, I've been his Buddy for decades."

"Drum. I-"

"Hey," Drum rubbed his eyes to get rid of some of the tears that were beginning to form. "The fact that you and Jack are starting to remember everything is a good sign, right? That means that Gao might start remembering things too! I just have to be patient and wait it out. No matter how long it takes."

It was plain to see to Tasuku and Jack that Drum was still in pain, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. But neither of them dared to say a single word. Neither of them knew how to help and for the first time, even counting that desperate time against Yamigeddo, Tasuku and Jack never felt so... helpless. Neither of them even knew how to begin helping Drum heal the emotional scars the resets had left on him.

"Listen, Drum." Jack began. "If you need to talk, Tasuku and I are more than willing to lend an ear. And if I remember about what you told Axia then he's more than willing to give you some support."

Drum scoffed. "Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it... Axia's been a really great help. He's a bit too clingy and hug-happy sometimes but it's nice having someone to talk to."

The red dragon looked towards Tasuku and Jack with no small amount of envy before he sighed, "It's just that... Well, count yourselves lucky that you have each other. As close as Gao and I were, you two are even closer. I'm not sure if either of you would be able to function without the other."

Tasuku cast his mind back to the original timeline, to the time when he fought against Jack as the Purgatory Knight or when the 6th Omni Lord Variable Cord had taken Jack from him to travel into the future. The green dragon gripped his partner's shoulder reassuringly, sensing Tasuku's increasingly darkening thoughts.

"See what I mean?" Drum replied, an increasingly strained smile on his face. "Now I think dinner should be ready so the two of you should head in. I'll clean up here."

Sensing Drum's darkening mood the two left hurriedly before they made things worse. In the meanwhile Drum headed out towards the back of the dojo and outside. Wordlessly the dragon shifted into his larger form and slammed a fist into a nearby tree trunk.

"Dammit," he hissed as he felt his fist impact into the tree's trunk. He growled as he slammed his fist into the tree several more times, letting the sound echo throughout the night. After a few more straight minutes of punching, the tree was left a splintered wreck. His fists ached as both sap and blood covered his gauntlets but Drum couldn't bring himself to care.

He slammed his head into the tree and let his tears fall freely. "Dammit Gao, what's taking you so long to remember..."

1.05

(Future Card Buddyfight)

"Come on now," the bully coaxed, "You have a rare card on you, don't you? Mind if you gave it up?" The timid and teal-haired kid he was bullying, looked fearfully at the two other bullies that were backing him up.

"I-I told you I don't play Buddyfight," Kiri Hyoryu, the kid that was being bullied stammered. The lead bully gave the teen a carefree smile full of malice, laying a forceful hand on the oppressed and pressured teen.

"Then why don't you become our piggy bank then? Just hand over all your cash and I'll let you go without giving you a few bruises. Then you can go run crying back to mommy and daddy."

Kiri looked left for a way to escape, but it was blocked off by the bully's cronies. He looked left but that way was similarly blocked off. There was absolutely no escape.

"Well, what will it be?" the bully asked as he grabbed Kiri by the collar and pulled him upwards. "Fork over all of your cash or give me your rare cards? Better pick quick or else I'll send you to the hospital."

Kiri grabbed at the bully's tight grip as he tried to struggle. He was on the edge of his courage as he dangled helplessly. "P-please. Let me go!"

"Give me a good reason why I should, you pathetic crybaby." the bully jeered. Kiri almost seemed to twitch and spasm for a second, his grip loosening on the bully's arm for a moment before it tightened. Kiri Hyoryu closed his eyes.

And the Third Omni Water Lord Miserea Awoke.

"Mom's gonna kill me..." Gao moaned as he made his way across the sidewalk. It was bad enough that he got distracted by that Buddyfight on TV, but now his Mom was going to skin him alive for being so late. And probably drive him into the ground with Aikido training.

"I'm not going to be able to move until tomorrow morning after she's through with me."

But before Gao could lament his potential early death by training scenario, three kids shot out of the alleyway in front of him like at a nearly blurring speed, knocking him down on his rear. The three didn't pay any attention to the redhead they knocked down and quickly ran away like a horde of angry demons were on their trail. It took a second for the cloud of dust from the bullies' hasty retreat to clear, but as soon as it did all three of them were long gone.

"Ow, what just hit me?" Gao groaned as he tried to regain his disorientation. He got back up and dusted himself off as he looked into the alleyway from where the three kids had fled from and found a rather strange sight.

"It looks like you scared them stone cold, my lord!" the monster chuckled, fanning his metallic wings. "Oh my, it looks like I used an ice and stone joke at the same time. How silly of me." he chuckled as he scratched his masked chin with a large scythe-like claw. The monster was armored in what looked like rocky plates as well as an orange avian mask. His companion, a kid his age with teal hair parted to the right, gave a good and honest laugh at the monster's otherwise horrible joke.

"It's good to see you again, Stein Blade Joker. I missed you."

"Oh, don't make me blush. You seemed to be enjoying your life here as a human, so it wouldn't have been right to disturb it. But it's a bit strange that you've regained all of your memories at once. I mean, I got reverted back to my original form almost instantly!"

"I'm not sure what exactly is going on myself, Joker. But I'm sure we'll both figure it out." the teen replied.

Gao frowned as he completely failed to figure out what was going on. Memories? Original form? He had no clue what either of the strange duo were talking about.

"It looks like we might have some... unexpected company though," Joker replied as he pointed a scythe-like claw towards the eavesdropping Gao. He froze instantly in the spotlights but was confused when the kid's face lit up with a bright smile.

"Gao! It's nice to see you again," the kid said.

"Eh?! How did you know my name? Have we met?" Gao asked. The Monster looked equally confused as he glanced between the two. The kid blinked before as the smile on his face vanished instantly before he frowned.

"You don't re-" the blue haired kid began before he cut himself off. He then scratched his head, "Oh sorry! My dad took me to an martial arts tournament one time. I saw you in it and I recognized you from there."

"Oh right, that makes sense! Yeah I do a lot of those." Gao chuckled. The Monster looked back and forth between the two humans but wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. Gao looked a bit suspicious though, "What were you guys talking about? You mentioned about... lost memories or something?"

"Yeah..." the kid stated as he looked a bit embarrassed, "I used to get bullied a lot. A fight went too far and I ended up losing a year's worth of memory. My dad made me move schools, I didn't really get them back until just now when a few bullies were ganging up on me."

Gao winced, "That sucks... But anyway, I got to go. My mom's going to kill me for being this late," he stated, "I hope your head gets better soon, um..."

"Kiri Hyoryu," the boy prompted.

"Alright then Kiri, later!" Gao shouted as he made a mad dash towards home. Unseen behind him, Kiri sighed sadly and leaned against the wall to calm himself down.

Joker was beside him in an instant, "Miserea, what is really going on? I know for certain that you have never met that boy before. I've never seen you weave that complex of a story before in a very long time."

"Please call me Kiri," the boy replied. "I'm still rather reluctant to throw away my life as a human for now. As for how... I've met Gao before, but in the future."

"How intriguing..." Joker scratched his armored chin. "But I believe that this requires a more.. private place to discuss matters. I doubt you want to alter anyone's memories more than you need to. Even if you're adept at manipulating your own memories to keep this masquerade of being human."

"Indeed I do not," Kiri sighed. "Let's leave this place." With a snap of his fingers, water swirled around the duo before they vanished.

From the space in-between dimensions Drum watched slack-jawed as Gao's friend from the original timeline, Kiri Hyoryu or rather Miserea, vanished in a burst of water and light.

"What the hell."

1.06

[Persona 3 / Future Card Buddyfight] Part 1

Drum had been through a lot of these resets, much more than any of the other people who knew what was going on. Sometimes things went exactly according to what had happened the first time around. Other times there were some minor changes to the timeline, such as the times where everyone was just a bit older, the time where Gao actually did end up losing more than once, and the one time where... well, everyone had swapped genders.

Most of the people involved had agreed to not speak a single word about that reset ever again. Unsurprisingly, Axia was the only one who seemed to not care. The sudden gender changed hadn't even phased the dragowizard; hell Drum didn't even notice any changes in his behavior.

But now, as Drum looked towards the students that were in the school's car, he frowned as he looked at the latest change the resets had brought up.

The change in question was a transfer student by the name of Minato Arisato. The boy was around Gao's age and had dark blue hair that covered one eye. At first the dragon had mistaken the new guy for the bombastic and cheery Tetsuya, the Buddy of the Second Omni Lord Asmodai, due to the headphones he wore over his ears. But the dark blue jacket, dress pants, and the almost apathetic look on his face had set him apart from the other teen.

While some of Gao's classmates talked and chatted with each other, the newcomer just blasted music on his headphone and looked out of the window of the van. It looked like he had no interest in listening or talking with the other kids in the van.

_"Then what'cha gotta do is drop the hammer down, drop rhyme drop hammer digging like a labor. You've got blood all over, ash all over, spit it out, son game's over," _Minato's headphones blasted out loud.

"Umm. Minato," Kurugu, one of Gao's classmates, spoke up, "Do you happen to play Buddyfight?"

Minato didn't seem to hear her over his own music, which caused the girl to tap Minato on the shoulder to catch his attention. The boy frowned as he paused his music and turned to Kurugu.

"Hm?" he asked. Kurugu repeated her question.

"I was wondering if you played Buddyfight," she said in an attempt to break the ice between them. "My friend Baku here builds Gao's Buddyfight decks."

"I don't play it," Minato shrugged. Behind him, another teen with a lion-print shirt peered over the back of the seat. It was Noboru, the Dragon Knight user. Drum never really got over the fact that he claimed that 'dragons needed riders because they were too dumb to think for themselves'. It didn't help that he became one of Yamigeddo's cronies later on.

"What, too scared that you'll lose?" Noboru taunted. Minato met the brash teen's eyes plainly without any sort of sign that he was being goaded by his taunt. In fact he looked exactly the same as he did throughout the entire trip: apathetic.

"No. It's just seems like a waste of time to me," Minato replied in monotone. The moment those words left his lips, all conversations died out in an instant as everyone else in the van, Drum included, stared at him as if he had just grown a third head.

"...It's true." Minato replied simply as if he was discussing the weather rather than calling the card game the entire world revolved around a waste of time. Every single person in the van, including the teacher driving the van in the first place, continued to stare at him; not quite comprehending the words that he just said.

"...You don't like Buddyfight," the head-banded Baku repeated slowly. "Have you even played it before?"

"No. I don't see the appeal."

Gao burst out, "How can you NOT like Buddyfight? You're fighting alongside monsters from another dimension. And if you get lucky, you get a partner like Drum or Asmodai. Yeah Drum's a pain in the butt sometimes-"

"Hey!" the forementioned 'pain in the butt' protested.

"But he's a good friend. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world."

"Alright, I'll let you go for saying that," Drum grumbled.

"I'm just not interested in it," Minato sighed as he failed to get his point across. "Is it THAT weird that I don't like Buddyfight?"

"YES!" everyone else cried out in unison. Minato blinked once at the loud response as his expression shifted into one of surprise rather than apathy.

"Listen," Baku offered, "I'll build you your own deck for free. It's really fun, just give it a try."

"I'll pass." Minato sighed as he turned his music back on. The conversation was over.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who didn't like Buddyfight," Baku said to Kurugu.

"There's a first for everything, I guess." she sighed. "It's just... I've been waiting to get a Buddy Rare card for such a long time. And to find someone who would gladly throw that away..."

Drum frowned as he considered the newest student. What the heck was going on with this reset? He hadn't met someone who downright disliked Buddyfight, well, ever.

He glanced over at Kiri who was sitting at the back end of a the truck, who gave him a shrug that indicated he had no idea what was going on. Since Kiri had showed up with Joker this earlier that day, it was clear that he had retained the memories from the original timeline. It was just that the disguised Omni Lord looked just as dumbfounded, if not more so, than everyone else in the vehicle.

Minato Arisato was slightly annoyed at the glances and whispers that his statement had created during this particular fused Loop. He hadn't made gotten any sort of response from his Ping earlier, and he hadn't been able to locate the Anchor of this particular Loop. Had it just started Looping?

This Loop was a weird mash-up of Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, with a bit of Magic the Gathering. In this Loop, the game Buddyfight allowed players to summon creatures from 10 different worlds while allowing them to have a Monster as their "Buddy" or partner.

Had he been more interested in card games he might have enjoyed the Loop a bit more. But he had done enough fighting in Baseline alone that doing that kind of combat was... kind of dull. He had personally faced down the manifestation of Death herself and sacrificed his soul to seal her away. This 'children's card game' was nothing compared to what he faced in his home Loop. To be honest, he found the existence of the other parallel dimensions themselves more fascinating than some card game.

The van was currently headed towards the Fuji Photon Metal Mine where workers created the special deck cases that were used in Buddyfights, specifically made for those with a Buddy Monster. Although he was told that there was going to be a quiz on what the students had learned there, Minato couldn't bring himself to really care about the assignments. He had constantly gone through high school over and over again, compared to that doing middle school homework was a piece of cake.

He could probably do all of the assignments with his eyes closed at this point. They were THAT easy. Frankly he couldn't help but fall asleep during class most of the time, which had gotten him in trouble more than once.

"Alright then, we're here!" the professor declared, snapping Minato out of his contemplation. Within seconds the van emptied of its inhabitants with Drum reverting back into his card form at the professor's insistence. Minato, of course, was the very last one to leave.

He clicked his music player off and put his headphones around his neck as a show of courtesy to the teacher. Meanwhile Gao looked eagerly into the empty compound with what looked like child-like enthusiasm. Which was understandable since, well, Gao was 12 years old.

"It's a bit more... quiet than I thought it might be." Kurugu mentioned.

"Yeah, where's the bus?" Noboru asked as the group looked around. There was, indeed, not a single bus in sight. "The school bus should have been here already since it left way before we did."

"It's probably stuck in traffic or something," Baku said. "I'd say we just wait it out. They should be here any minute."

Minato scanned his surroundings as he felt his sense go into overdrive. It was indeed a bit TOO quiet. And if the Loops had taught him anything... It was that BAD things happened when things got too quiet.

"Everybody get back into the van, now!" the professor cried out, catching the attention of everyone else. Minato sighed, as usual his instincts were not wrong.

"What's wrong?" Kurugu asked as she, Noboru, and Baku gathered around him.

"There's been some sort of an accident within the mines. The field trip got cancelled, so the bus turned around already." the professor cried aloud as he read the message on the phone. The other students looked back at him in shock. Noboru frowned as he realized something.

"There's a problem. Gao already ran towards the mine. Kiri followed after him in order to get him to come back but both of them are still missing," he reported.

Minato closed his eyes and exhaled, "I'll get them." The moment those words left his mouth, everybody started staring at him incredulously. Once again he was the center of attention, how annoying.

"Are you crazy?!" Baku hissed. "They closed down the facility for a reason, you know! We should contact the Buddy Police and let them-"

"By the time the Buddy Police arrive Gao and Kiri might already be dead." Minato cut him off bluntly as he turned away from the group. "I'm going after them."

"You might die if you go through there!"

"It's better than sitting around here and doing nothing." Minato shot back with his eyes narrowed. Without another word he quickly ran towards the center of the compound, presumably where Gao and Kiri had ended up. He ignored the protests from the others as he quickly headed towards the center of the danger.

When he was sure that he was out of sight of the others, he reached deep into his Pocket and withdrew an ornate sword. The moment he wrapped his hand around the handle, he felt strength flow into his body like a surging tide. Lucifer's Blade augmented several aspects of his body; such as his agility, strength, and defense. Something told him that he was going to need it. And as he learned from his Baseline, following that instinct and that voice in the back of your mind sometimes was the difference between life and death.

As he charged towards an unknown danger with his chosen weapon in hand, he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.

It looked like this Loop might not be as boring as he thought it was.

1.07

[Future Card Buddyfight/Persona 3]

"I think we should head back... The others are really far behind us," Kiri said as he and Gao made their way deeper into the compound. Kiri, or rather Miserea, already knew what was going to happen next. Rouga Aragami, the future Buddy of the Eighth Omni Deity Lord Grangadez, would attack the facility under the alias 'Wolf' in order to steal several deck-cases for his leader, Kyoya Gaen. He couldn't just let Gao face off against Rouga alone, even if Drum was currently accompanying his friend.

"It'll be fine Kiri! Besides, we might find stuff that might make us better Buddyfighters! Or maybe something that will convince Minato to try out Buddyfighting!" Gao declared enthusiastically as he charged forward. Kiri couldn't help but to find Gao's enthusiasm to be bit... infectious as he put forth his best effort to catch up with his athletic friend.

It was only a few moments before they entered the main mining complex, but the human and the Omni Lord stopped in their tracks and glanced around them. The formerly pristine buildings of the factory bore the tell-tale signs of combat. Black smoke billowed from the dozens of large craters and holes burrowed through the outsides of the facility, making them resemble large blocks of cheese rather than buildings.

"What the heck happened here?" Gao walked deeper into the facility, Kiri tensing up unseen behind him. With a flash of light, Drum manifested alongside the red haired teen in his larger form, forgoing his normal Omni Lord form for his very first, and basic, form cloaked in brass armor with his large, engine-driven drill in one hand. Both he and Kiri had decided to lay low this early in the reset, and as such neither of them would choose to take their Omni Lord forms unless they had no other choice.

"These... are drill holes?" Drum rumbled thoughtfully as he examined the edges of the circular holes. It was expected after all, Drum's primary weapons of choice were drill-themed. "Yeah, the grooves check out. But you'd think this place would be, I don't know, a bit sturdier?"

Kiri gave a sigh of relief. He had given Drum advice about staying under the radar and telling white lies to his Buddy in order to keep Gao from finding things out too soon. And thankfully it seemed that Drum had taken those lessons to heart; subtlety was not something that the armored dragon was suited for.

"Those must have been huge drills then..." Gao shrugged as he moved forwards, Drum at the ready and following close behind him.

Kiri and Drum had a battle-plan when it came to this encounter. Firstly, Drum would distract Rouga and his buddy Cerberus. Kiri would then use Joker to take back the stolen deck cases while Rouga was under siege. If this worked, which it usually did, it would end up setting back Kyoya's plans by around a month or so, which in turn gave them another extra month since time always seemed to reset itself when they were swallowed by Yamigeddo rather than on a specific date.

"Looks like today's not your day," a rough voice called from above. Kiri and the others looked above them and found the person who they were looking for.

The figure on the roof of the building had dark skin and wild silver hair, with his cold eyes hidden behind a simple mask. Gripped in his right hand was a black drill-headed spear surrounded by glowing violet rings of energy. A silver briefcase was clutched in the other hand, the dull metal surface shining in the dark aura that surrounded the thief. Accompanying him was a large armored hound with three heads. Its fur was white as snow, and attached to its body were dozens of weapons painted bright yellow, not unlike construction equipment. Rouga and his Buddy Cerberus had finally arrived.

"Who the heck are you?!" Gao demanded as he pointed an accusing figure towards the masked thief above them.

"None of your business," he stated coldly. He tightened his grip on his spear as he scowled at the three outsiders. "I was told not to leave any witnesses, so you're just going to have to disappear!" the masked teen snarled. He turned his gaze sideways towards his Monster.

"Cerberus, deal with them."

With a single howl, the three-headed beast brought the dozens of weapons attached to his body forward. Four drills began to spin and whirl to life as the beast leapt off of the roof of the building and descended upon Kiri and Gao.

"Back off!" Drum snarled as his own drill, the Salamander Engine, roared in defiance. The dragon brought the montrous drill forward with almost effortless ease and intercepted the attack. The two weapon screeched against each other as the Danger World and the Dragon World monsters clashed.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" Drum bellowed as he knocked away Cerberus with a single push. With a single swipe, Cerberus' drills were shattered apart, leaving only spinning fragments of metal in their place. "This drill was passed down to me from my ancestors. Those pitiful toys of your can't even scratch it!"

Cerberus remained silent and chose to change tactics. Two gatling guns unfolded from his back and began to spin ominously.

"Crap!" Drum swore as he quickly grabbed hold of both Kiri and Gao. Using the exhaust of his drill as a make-shift rocket, Drum sidestepped the sudden storm of lead and brought the two under cover.

"Stay here. I'll take care of this." The armored dragon quickly gathered his strength and leapt to the top of a nearby building, bringing himself under cover as Cerberus continued his lethal assault.

"What the heck- Drum!" Gao called out about to follow after his Buddy. Kiri quickly pulled him back under cover.

"Gao wait! Neither of us stand a chance against them." Kiri stated. It was a flat-out lie of course: both Kiri and Drum could easily beat Rouga and his buddy then and there, but Kiri had to continue his masquerade as human for now and Drum had planned to lay low for a while.

"I can't just-"

"You trust Drum, right? He can handle it himself."

Gao grit his teeth as he watched the clash between his Buddy and the armored wolf. For all of his prowess at martial arts, he was still powerless when compared to the Monsters.

But before he could dwell on it more a voice cut in from above.

"Found you!" Rouga snarled as he brought his lance down from above them. Kiri, having known that Rouga would do such a thing, was already prepared.

"Joker, now!" he cried out. Beneath the ground, the Dungeon World monster heeded his lord's call and erupted from the ground in a shower of earth and dust.

"What the-" Rouga bit out before he was forced to parry a strike from Joker's claws before another claw-strike knocked the briefcase out of his hands and out towards the battle-ground.

Rouga cursed before he brought forth a glowing card from the eye-like jewel on his weapon. "Armorknight Eagle, grab the cases!" from the summoned card came a white eagle, cloaked in bulky armor. He screeched and flapped his wings as he dove after it, and grabbed it with his talons.

"Joker, don't let him get away!" Kiri called out.

"Understood, my lord! I'll make sure to ground him!" Joker replied cheekily as he spread his own wings and took off. "Here, birdy birdy..."

"Now it's just you and me." Rouga growled as he swung his spear around. "Nothing personal, I just have a job to do."

Gao brought Kiri behind him as Rouga marched forward with his spear in hand. It spun and glowed with dark energy as the masked teen sought to end the two teens right then and there.

'Looks like I don't have a choice...' Kiri thought to himself as he prepared to summon forth his water magic forward to shield the both of them. But such a thing was unneeded.

CLANG!

Before his eyes the unknown student, Minato Arisato blocked the blow almost instantaneously with a strange sword in his grip. The grip and centerpiece resembled a grail in appearance, with several set of metal wings emerging from the circumference of it. From the center of the chalice a ethereal blade emerged, cloaked in a light-less aura that exuded a strange presence.

"The hell did you come from?!" Rouga hissed as he brought his weapon back for another attack. But Minato did not let Rouga get in another strike.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The sound of metal striking metal filled the area as two teen dueled. Minato's strikes were almost clock-work in efficiency and power; there was not a single wasted movement and not a single trace of hesitation or fear on his face. Rouga, in comparison attacked aggressively and fiercely. But for every strike that Rouga attempted to make, Minato struck at him thrice, forcing him backwards and away.

"Minato?!" Gao gaped when Rouga was forced to retreat by a large amount, "What the heck was you doing here? I thought you were with the others."

"I'm here to retrieve you," the stoic teen replied as he flicked his sword idly. He had not taken his eyes off of the panting Rouga and as always his expression remained completely emotionless.

Kiri however remained silent, but inwards his thoughts were racing. The way that Minato fought spoke of a vast amount of fighting experience. His ease with a blade wasn't that of a trainee, nor a novice. It was like watching a master swordsman taking down an amateur student. It was Minato's eyes that gave him away; his eyes did not belong on a child that was merely 12 years of age.

"Not bad," Rouga growled. "But I don't have time for this." he summoned forth another card from his spear and brought it out. "Armorknight Ogre, attack him!" With a flash of light a lumbering blue titan with gun-metal armor with a mace twice as tall as Minato was.

With a lumbering gait the ogre brought his club down upon the blue-haired swordsman with the intent to crush him into the ground.

"Minato!" Gao cried out in alarm. But by the time those words left his mouth, Minato was already moving, sidestepping the mace's crushing path. The ground crumbled inches away from Minato as the nimble teen dodged strike after earth-shattering strike.

"Tch." Minato stepped backwards and created space between the bulky armored monster.

"Not bad," Rouga taunted, "But a human can't fight against a monster by himself. Just give it up!"

Minato looked up with Rouga with his cold gaze before he placed his sword in his left hand and reached into his jacket with the right. There was a soft click and a rustle of fabric as he withdrew a short gun. It's short barrel was polished to a mirror shine with the words 'SEES' engraved on the receiver. The grip of the gun pulsed with a strip of sapphire light as Minato clutched it with a hand just a bit too small for it. He slowly walked forward towards Rouga and the Monster he had under his control.

"A gun?" Rouga scoffed, "That little pea-shooter isn't going to even scratch me or my monster. What exactly do you plan on doing with it?"

Rather than to explain in words, Minato decided to let his actions speak for him. In an almost casual motion, like bringing a cellphone to his ear, Minato brought the small silver gun up and rested the muzzle of it against his temple.

"What the- are you brain-dead?!" Rouga demanded in disbelief.

Gao quickly dashed forward, trying to get to Minato in time to stop what looked like a completely suicidal action, "Minato, don't! We can still-"

But before Gao could take his second step, Minato exhaled once and began to squeeze the trigger.

"Persona."

There was a ringing gunshot and the sound of shattering glass. There was a burst of blue light and a release of unfathomable power, and it sent Gao flying backwards, landing next to Kiri on his rear.

"Gao!" the Omni Lord cried out in alarm as he helped his friend up. Gao groaned in pain as he looked up and froze.

Around Minato's form was a blue storm of what appeared to be glass, swirling around the teen like a literal hurricane, that bathed him in a eerie blue light and scattered dust and dirt around him. And above the teen, something began to slowly emerge from the maelstrom of light piece by piece. As it did so an echoing voice resounded throughout the compound, bringing even Drum and Joker's fights to a halt.

**"I am thou, and thou art I."** a colorless mask, humanoid in appearance manifested first along with fair hair that looked as if it were spun from gold.

**"From the sea of thy soul, I come." **a mechanical torso followed, with a speaker in the figure's stomach. The chassis of the being was painted a bloody vermilion.

**"I am the winding path you have tread. I am the crystallization of the bonds you have formed." **mechanical arms arms and legs, golden in color, were formed from the storm of potential. Ivory hands and feet shortly followed as the figure hovered in the air above Minato.

**"I am Orpheus Telos, Master of Strings." **the figure declared as it asserted its identity and form upon the world. In its mechanical grip a golden lyre, one crafted from a resplendent gold and as large as the figure itself, formed as the storm subsided.

**"Come, let us sing of Life's grandeur... forevermore."**

1.08

[Future Card Buddyfight] Mirror Mirror Pt 1.

This reset had brought upon a brand spanking new set of changes, much to Drum's exasperation. But the change that came around was a bit more... unique than what he had anticipated. Although the current scenario was becoming more and more of a headache the more he thought about it.

"Who the heck are you and what are you doing with my Buddy?!" another red dragon demanded loudly. He matched Drum's appearance perfectly, down to the nicks on the armor and the drill-like horns on his snout and arms.

"That's my question, you faker!" Drum growled as he glared at the doppelganger of himself. Sparks flew between the two miniature dragons as they butted heads with each other.

Apparently the... clone of himself was just as immature as Drum himself was early in the original timeline. It was pretty embarrassing to be honest; like looking in one of those fun-house mirrors.

Was he really that childish and immature that early on? No wonder his Dad had to come over to knock some sense in him later on in the timeline. The resets had done wonders for his maturity. But the fact that he was existing in the exact same time and place was just giving making things even harder to understand.

"Not until you answer my question first!" the other Drum snarled.

"Trust me, I have absolutely no clue what is going on right now, alright!?" Drum snarled. The two dragons gritted their teeth as they were on the verge of beating the other senseless.

Gao just looked confused between the two bickering Dragons. His mother, on the other hand, evaluated the amount of groceries that she had in her hands and promptly decided to head back later. She's need a bit more food if there were going to be two Drums.

Gao decided to break the tension-filled silence, "So, if you're both Drum then what am I supposed to do tell the difference between the two of you?"

The original Drum frowned before he shifted form, taking on a slightly larger form that was a bit taller than Gao. Now instead of being tiny dragon half Gao's height he was now a taller armored dragon in what looked to be red and black light armor. He had the same proportions of your average athletic high-school student. "There, that make it easier for you? And you can call me... Fang to differentiate between me and short-stuff here."

"Short-stuff?!" Drum growled as he charged at his larger clone. Fang chuckled amusingly before he held the dragon back with a hand to the forehead. "Let me go dammit!"

"...Wow I was really immature way back when, wasn't I?" Fang chuckled to himself before he realized that he blurted out some crucial information.

"Way back then?" Gao asked suspiciously. Fang groaned.

"...You know what, screw subtlety," the more experienced dragon decided. "Yeah, I'm Drum from the future. Fifth Omni Dragon Lord Fang Slade Terrestrial XIV, at your service."

Drum stopped struggling and gaped openly at the newly revealed time traveler. Meanwhile, Gao's mom re-assessed how much food she would have to make, and decided to just head back to the food market as soon as she could. She was going to need even more food to keep an older Drum satisfied.

1.09

[Future Card Buddyfight/Persona 3]

"What kind of Monster is that?!" Rouga demanded as Orpheus slid the Golden lyre upon his back. The manifestation of Minato's own psyche hovered protectively over his body, the expression on his colorless mask grim yet stoic.

"It's not a Monster," Minato said blandly as he spun the silver gun on his finger. "It's called a Persona. It is not limited by the flesh and blood; it exists as a concept and an identity given material form."

"Stop talking in riddles dammit!" Rouga grit his teeth before Armorknight Ogre charged with his metal club raised. Minato's Persona responded in suit, wordlessly following the order that its master had given. The construct brought forth the lyre on its back and met the ogre's charge with its own attack. The two weapon collided with the thunderous sound of clashing metal, yet despite this it was not the smaller persona's weapon that was cast aside, but rather the larger ogre's.

"The hell?!" Rouga watched in almost disbelief as his larger monster was pushed back by the small and lithe Orpheus. Minato's expression was unchanging as the ogre was forced on the defensive, Orpheus' titanic strikes pushing the larger monster back. Upon the third strike, the ogre's club shattered into pieces while the lyre that the Persona wielded did not even have so much as a blemish.

"Agi," Minato commanded, and Orpheus obeyed without a single moment of hesitation.

Power coursed through Orpheus' body as its pale eyes glowed with power. There was no other warning before a fireball flashed into existence, engulfing the armored monster in flames as it screamed in agony.

"Ogre!" Rouga cried out in alarm as the smell of scorched flesh filled the air. Defenseless, the Monster could do nothing but burn to death. The monster's body shattered into dozens of pieces, dissolving into motes of energy that streamed back into Rouga's spear.

"Had enough?" Minato replied cooly as Orpheus floated back into its original position near him. The area still burned with the residual flames from Orpheus' attack, sending smoke and ash into the air.

Rouga grit his teeth in rage before he drew another card from his spear. "Drill Bunker!" he declared. A torrent of silver energy, designed to pierce and maim, streamed from the card and towards the two of them. But Orpheus was already there with its lyre at ready. With a single swing the torrent of energy was batted aside into the wall of a nearby building, sending shards of concrete and metal flying.

"Wait... Isn't Drill Bunker a spell?" Gao asked as he shielded his eyes from the shards of concrete. "How did he cast it in the real world? I thought they only worked in Buddyfights!"

"You're asking the wrong person Gao!" Kiri shot back, despite knowing the answer to that question already.

"Dammit." Rouga cursed as he considered the last options he had. He was currently outnumbered two to one, and he didn't have a single idea about the capabilities of that... thing that Minato kid had summoned.

As much as he hated it, the only option he had was to retreat and reorient himself.

"Eagle, Cerberus, to me!" he commanded before he pulled another card from his spear. "Cast: Thunder Devastation!" The card dissolved into light as his spear began to charge with electrical energy. Minato braced himself for an attack but, was caught off guard when Rouga stabbed his own spear into the ground rather attack him. Thunder crackled around Rouga before the ground exploded, sending dirt and dust flying into a thick cloud of debris.

"Garu." Minato replied coldly as Orpheus swept a hand sideways, dispelling cloud of dust and smoke with a small emerald hurricane. But Rouga was already gone and out of sight.

"He got away," Minato sighed as Orpheus dissolved back into motes of azure light. Although as powerful as Orpheus was, Minato couldn't track down his enemies like his allies from his home Loop could. All he could really do right now was to retrieve the two other students.

"Are you two hurt?" he asked as he turned to Gao and Kiri. He expected them to be slack-jawed, stunned, and unharmed. He did not expect Gao to punch him in the face.

"Why the heck did you do that?! You didn't need to point a gun at your own head!" Gao hissed. Minato felt his cheek throb painfully, but he had faced worse before.

"It's not a gun, it's an Evoker. It doesn't have any bullets." To demonstrate Minato pointed the Evoker downwards and pulled the trigger. There was a short burst of blue light and energy, but the ground remained completely and utterly unharmed.

"But still! You're not supposed to point that at your own head! Can't you call your Buddy without using that?!"

"I can, and Orpheus is not my-"

"Then why did you need to use that?!" Gao shouted as he gestured at the Evoker in Minato's grip. The blue-haired teen just shrugged.

"It's easier to use an Evoker than to summon my Persona manually," Minato stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

Gao looked like he wanted to protest but then a large explosion caught their attention. High above and far ahead from them, Cerberus was engaged in combat with a green dragon while the masked thief was facing off against another kid around Gao's age with sky-blue hair.

"That's Tasuku and Jack!" Gao realized. "They're with the Buddy Police! They must have found that guy from earlier!" Without so much as hesitating, Gao ran towards the fighting to see if there was any way he could help.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Minato groaned as he followed after Gao. The red haired teen reminded him a bit too much of Junpei, one of his closest friends. Both of them seemed to rush into danger head-first without thinking things through.

Meanwhile, Joker landed next to Kiri with half of a silver briefcase in tow. "Mission accomplished, my lord. The bird has been put... on ice. Unfortunately, it looks like I was only able to recover half of it."

"Good job Joker," Kiri smiled as he took the case back. But then he frowned as he searched through his memory.

Why was that word, 'Persona', so familiar to him? He was positive that it had not existed in the original timeline. What had changed?

"Future Force authorized," the communicator in Tasuku's ear rang. The blue-haired officer sighed in relief as he closed his eyes. He focused on the well of power within him as the blue gem in his Star Pulsar, the item his deck case had become, flashed crimson. His body began to glow with golden light as he felt his powers rise.

With this ability, Tasuku was able manifest cards into reality: the perfect counter to the Disaster Force that Rouga was using currently to manifest his items and spells into the real world.

"Equip: Dragobrave." With a flash of golden light, armored gauntlets and boots manifested before he gripped a large zweihander in both hands. He tightened the grip on his weapon before he brought it down upon Rouga's guard. The wheels of light around Tasuku's feet allowed him superior mobility in the air, allowing him to easily maneuver around the slower Rouga and exploit openings in his guard.

CLANG! CLANG! The ringing of manifested metal on metal sang in the air as Tasuku easily outclassed Rouga's close-combat abilities. He had received training in Dragon World alongside Gao, Jack, and Drum in the previous resets after all. Compared to that, Rouga might have as well been a kid with a toy.

"Dammit! First that blue haired kid with that weird Buddy Monster, now a guy that has Future Force?!" Rouga snarled in frustration as he blocked a heavy kick from Tasuku.

"Blue-haired kid? What are you talking about?" Tasuku frowned. He was sure that there was no such 'blue haired kid' during this part of the timeline.

"None of your business!" Rouga snarled in defiance as the two continued the one-sided clash.

Jack soared through the air with his armored wings as he engaged Cerberus in combat. Cerberus snarled as the missile pod on his back fired off a salvo of drill-tipped missiles at the green dragon. But like his partner, Jack had far more experience fighting than Cerberus could have even dreamed of. Jack ducked and wove through the hail of explosives effortlessly, baiting the missiles into each other and causing them to detonate into each other in a flash of light and energy.

"Hold still!" Cerberus snarled with his three heads as he followed up with his Gatling gun. But Cerberus' targeting systems were too slow to keep up with Jack, causing the storm of lead to miss Jack's soaring form by at least a foot.

Drum on the other hand watched the fighting from above, taking a brief break to catch his breath. There were some dents in his armor from a few close calls with Cerberus, but it was nothing that he couldn't fix. And even then, shifting back and forth from card form should repair all of the damage that he had sustained. Unfortunately he would leave Cerberus up to Jack: his current form wasn't really that good at aerial combat. Besides, he had other matters to attend with.

"Hey, stay awake!" Drum gently shook a Buddy Police officer, trying to keep him conscious. He had taken a nasty hit by Rouga's spell card and Drum's own makeshift first-aid measures were slowly losing their effectiveness.

"Drum!" Gao called out. The armordragon looked towards his buddy and grimaced when he saw Gao covered head to toe in dust.

"Gao! You alright?" he knew that he could rely on Kiri to protect Gao, should it have been necessary, but it was still relieving to see his Buddy unharmed.

"Yeah, Minato saved both of us. He summoned a cool Monster to beat up the ogre that thief guy sent out."

"Wait, what?!" Drum gaped. It was only then that he noticed the weapons in Minato's hands: the strange sword and the short-barreled gun.

"Later," Minato replied, cutting Drum off before any questions could be asked before he nodded towards the injured officer. "I'll heal him."

Gao looked visibly spooked. "H-Hey, you're not going to... shoot yourself again, are you?"

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Drum blanched, "Did you just say 'shoot yourself again'?!"

Minato sighed before he shook his head. "I won't." He closed his eyes, focusing and breathing for a few seconds. He already summoned Orpheus earlier so as such he did not need to invoke his Persona again for what he was about to do next. He laid a hand on the injured man and whispered.

"Dia."

The man's body began to glow with a green light before his wounds slowly began to close. His breathing got easier and after several more agonizing seconds, the worst of the man's wounds were fully healed.

"Ugh..." the man groaned as his mind slipped into unconsciousness. But other than that, he was perfectly healthy.

"It's the first time I've seen a human use magic directly," Drum noted as he frowned at Minato. "We'll talk later though. We need to take care of that other guy, although I think Tasuku and Jack have that under control."

As he said those words, Tasuku sent Rouga flying downwards with a spinning kick. Rouga recovered and landed deftly on his feet, panting in exertion before Cerberus joined him sporting his own share of injuries.

"This entire heist has been a complete mess," Rouga snarled. Cerberus readied whatever weapons that were still operational. Armorknight Eagle appeared next to Rouga, depositing half of the briefcase into his hands and returning himself to Rouga's spear.

"Now would be the best time to leave before we lose any of the other cases." Cerberus rumbled in his distorted, tri-tonal voice. But before either of them could even think of escaping there was a flash of golden light from high above. The sky was dyed a golden hue as a golden barrier of light surrounded the area.

"Too late," Tasuku replied as Jack took up a position next to his Buddy. "As long as this Buddy Police Barrier is active escaping here will be impossible unless you beat me at a Buddyfight."

"How convenient," Minato mused as he walked closer to Rouga. "So as you don't agree to a Buddyfight, he'll be trapped here. Correct?"

"Yes, but who are you?" Tasuku asked, unnerved by the fact he was seeing an unknown face after so many resets.

"You again?!" Rouga hissed as he brought his weapon up.

"Later," Minato shook his head as he brought his Evoker up as he addressed Tasuku. "Don't Buddyfight him, I'll just knock him out while he can't escape." He pressed the muzzle of the Evoker against the side of his head and ,before Tasuku or Jack could even protest, pulled the trigger.

"Not again..." Gao groaned as Orpheus Telos manifested himself once more in all of his ethereal glory. Rouga grit his teeth and prepared for battle, but his Buddy Monster had an entirely different reaction.

"Orpheus? That's... How?" Cerberus' center head whispered, his eyes wide and his voice disbelieving. Rouga looked up towards his partner in what looked to be concern for the briefest of moments.

"We'll talk about this later," Rouga replied. "Can you fight him?"

Cerberus grunted, "I will try." With a roar he brought his salvo of weapons online and fired everything towards the gathered group of people.

"Cast: Green Dragon Shield!" Tasuku declared. Before him, a large green shield decorated with the head of a dragon manifested in the air, nullifying Cerberus' the dozens of missiles, bullets, and other projectiles with ease.

"Zio!" Minato ordered. But for the briefest of moments Orpheus seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments before attacking. The resulting thunderbolt seemed to barely miss Cerberus' armored form, allowing the enemy Monster to escape unharmed.

Minato frowned at his Persona's hesitance to harm his opponent. That was something that had never happened before. Could it be that this Loop changed the very nature of Personas ever so slightly? Regardless of the reasons why, he wasn't sure if he could properly damage Cerberus directly with Orpheus. Therefore...

"Heat Riser." Minato commanded.

Orpheus began to play his lyre with masterful fingers; each string sang in a frenzied harmony that roused the blood and strengthened his allies. There was a pulse of crimson light that engulfed Jack and Drum, filling them with titanic strength, agility, and endurance.

"This feels amazing!" Drum grinned as he felt the Persona's energy flow through him. He revved up his Drill and charged forward towards the injured Monster. Jack spread his wings and took off, the blade on his helm already unfolded and ready for combat.

"Tch, Armorknight Demon!" Rouga called out. From his hand emerged a hulking, blue-skinned monster onto the field armed with a battle-ship's worth of weaponry. It materialized on the battle field covered in healed battle scars and with its weapons glowing with power.

"Get out of my way!" Drum shouted as he brought forth his drill. The mountain of a monster brought forth the two massive arm cannons he carried, the insides of their barrels glowing violet with latent and earth shattering power. It released the six beams of unleashed energy, but it was hopelessly futile. With a sudden burst of sped, Drum ducked under the massive attack and leapt upwards.

"Eat this! Drill Ram Bunker!" the dragon roared as his body and weapon began to glow red hot. With a mighty shout, the augmented weapon tore through meat and metal like tissue paper, obliterating the monster's entire right side.

Jack followed up shortly afterwards, flying down from an attack and bisecting the remaining part of the Armorknight cleanly in half. Armorknight Demon exploded into a shower of red fragments instantly, defeated before his body hit the ground.

"Dammit," Rouga snarled in rage. "If that blue-haired brat wasn't here..." But before he could finish his thought, Orpheus was before him with his lyre raised for a crushing blow.

"Wolf!" Cerberus cried out in alarm and he intercepted the earth-shattering strike. The weapons that the hound had used to block to strike began to spark and smoke as the Monster and the Persona locked weapons.

"Orpheus, snap out of it! Don't you remember me?!" Cerberus cried, desperation in his voice for the first time during that entire struggle. The Persona remained silent, only tilting his mechanical head slightly. And to Minato's complete and utter bafflement, his Persona spoke.

**"I am not who you seek. I am nothing more than echo of the one you knew as Orpheus, one among many in the Sea of Souls."**

"You have his voice, you have his lyre, and you have his skill! How can you not be him?! How can you not be the first friend I ever made?!" Cerberus snarled. Minato was confused by the interaction between the Monster and his own Persona.

How many things had changed during this Loop? He had encountered minor changes to abilities throughout the Loops, but not one so... extensive.

**"I inherited his identity and memories, but I am not who you seek. I am merely a reflection. The Orpheus you knew died when his counterpart was destroyed; he drowned in despair and took his own life. I am merely an echo of the person who he once was. An almost perfect echo, but an echo nonetheless."**

"I don't care!" Cerberus growled as he pushed back Orpheus with whatever strength he had left. Orpheus complied and allowed himself to be pushed back. "Stop this! I do not wish to fight you."

**"Then surrender."**

"You know I can't do that..." Cerberus growled. Rouga clenched his fist was he watched his Buddy Monster. He did not envy his position of fighting a former comrade.

But then there was a flash of light, as the barrier slowly began to crumble. Sunlight streamed through the fading curtain of energy before black thunderclouds formed overhead.

"About time," Rouga snarled. But in the back of his mind, a part of him was relieved that Cerberus would not have to fight his former friend. There was a crack of violet thunder before a bolt of energy engulfed the two of them, sending the two to a completely different location.

"They got away..." Tasuku sighed as he looked towards Minato. Although he was relieved that they had only gotten away with three or so of the deck cases, the most recent changes had troubled him: specifically the anomaly that was known as Minato Arisato.

Minato exhaled once before he sent his sword back into his Pocket and re-holstered his Evoker. Orpheus dissolved into particles of blue light shortly afterwards and vanished back into dormancy within his mind. He would attempt to ask Orpheus a few questions later on; some of the changes that had occurred during this Fused Loop needed to be answered.

He turned back to Gao and the others and groaned mentally. He still owed them an explanation, and there was a lot of things that he needed to cover.

"You shot yourself again." Gao glared at him, anger simmering in his eyes. "You... You didn't even hesitate. Is your life worth that little to you?"

"It's not that," Minato sighed. "I just don't fear death." As the Looper looked around him at the gathering figures, including Kiri who was quickly catching up with the others, his experience Looping gave him a valuable piece of insight. Normally the Anchor of a Loop had a major role in the events in a Loop's timeline, and Minato was sure that this large scuffle qualified as a major event in the Loop's timeline.

Therefore, the Anchor of the Loop or at least some of the Loopers, should be currently present here.

"There's a lot of things worse than death..." Minato ventured as he observed the expressions of the people around him. "Like being stuck in a Time Loop and being forced to repeat things over and over again."

Minato was adept enough at reading people to recognize a flicker of recognition on every single person present. Except for Gao who just looked confused but still angry.

"Don't try to change the topic!" Gao hissed before Drum had to physically stop him from charging at Minato.

"Enough, Gao. We need to get back to the others. They're probably worried sick. I wouldn't be surprised if they called your Mom already," the dragon rumbled.

Gao wanted to argue but clenched his teeth, "Fine." with those words he stormed off back to the other students at the entrance. Drum sighed as he watched his partner go.

"Sorry about that," the dragon sighed. "Gao's brother died of illness several years ago. It's rare to see him act like this though, your whole shooting yourself thing must have really hit a nerve."

"I see..." Minato frowned before he looked to the others, "I'm guessing the rest of you know what I'm talking about then, correct? About the Loops?"

"The what?" Jack asked.

Minato sighed, "Looks like I'm going to have to explain everything. Weird, usually the Ponies are the ones who do it."

"The what?" Drum echoed.

"...Never mind. Let's just go somewhere private so I can tell all of you what's going on."

1.10

[Future Card Buddyfight/ Persona 3]

Kiri's house, barely furnished and completely ordinary, lacked the warmth one would typically expected find in a home. It was the home of a person who lived far too long alone. Majority of the furniture was untouched, and only one of the two bedrooms had been used recently. There was no TV installed, only a small table that only Kiri used. Indeed, only Kiri and occasionally Joker had ever set foot in this place more than once throughout the resets.

The exterior of the house was modest and simple enough that everybody who saw it merely turned a blind eye to it. It was registered under Kiri's father, who also did not actually exist. As such it was the perfect place for private discussion without the danger of eavesdropping.

"Sorry about the mess. I didn't expect to have anybody over... well, ever," the disguised Omni-Lord admitted as he started preparing a few small snacks and refreshments. "Gao's place is a lot better to have people over. Since my human identity involves me moving around a lot, I don't really have that many things to pack when I do move."

"Human identity?" Minato inquired. Kiri smiled before he stepped out of the kitchen and concentrated. There was a torrent of light and water and before the Looper's eyes Kiri had changed.

Kiri was now cloaked in silver and black armor with gold trimmed sapphires set into his boots, gauntlets, and breastplate. A white cape with a gold rim curved around him protectively as the three horns circled his head like a crown.

"My real name is Miserea, Third Omni Water Lord of Dungeon World. It is a pleasure to greet you properly, Minato," he nodded ever so slightly and when Minato acknowledged it, Kiri shifted back into his more ordinary human form.

"You're taking Miserea's identity well," Tasuku noted. Minato shrugged in response.

"Nothing really surprises me anymore," Minato shrugged before Kiri brought out a few glasses of water and a single cup of soda.

"Thanks Kiri," Drum said as he took the single cup of soda, deciding to forgo his normal form for his teenage, or as Paruko called it his 'bishie', form (although Drum for the love of him never really figured out what that word meant). Everybody else simply took their glasses of water.

"So, you ready to explain what is going on?" Jack asked. Minato shook his head.

"I'm not good at explaining. My friend will do it." Minato got up and concentrated; it would have been impolite to use his Evoker here as Kiri's guest. He reached into his own psyche and found a dark spark in the depths of his soul. It took a little effort but Minato grasped onto that dark spark and pulled.

The others could feel something shift in the air, as all of them felt at an instinctual level that something was very, VERY wrong. The blue energy that heralded Orpheus' manifestation was completely absent: and instead next to Minato the space next to him seemed to recoil and shift. There was a small crack in what seemed to be reality itself that hovered and grew, before a pair of white gloved hands shot out of the crack and pulled.

"What the hell!?" Drum exclaimed as he bolted back from the table, shifting into his Omni-Lord form alongside Jack and Joker. Tasuku and Kiri backed away slowly with the latter shifting into his true form.

What emerged from the crack oozed wrongness from its very frame. The abomination that emerged from the crack in reality was cloaked in a black garb and with silver chains. Around his shoulders lay an array of coffins, creating an eerie and unsettling set of wings. Sheathed at its side was a silver blade with a serrated edge that seemed to devour the light around it. The figure's fanged fanged silver mask, its teeth as sharp as razors and a maw as black as the abyss itself opened to scream forth the wail of the-

"Ryoji, cut it out," Minato frowned. The mask snapped closed as it looked at Minato almost... petulantly?

"You're no fun," a voice echoed throughout the room. It was a voice that DID not match its owner, reminding one more of a high school play-boy rather than the grim harbinger of death itself.

"We're guests here. It's not polite to go full Thanatos when we're being hosted here."

"You always summon Orpheus Telos and not me," the grim figure huffed. "Am I not good enough for you anymore?"

"I didn't want to traumatize everyone within a mile radius of me. Now go into your other form so you can help me explain the Loops."

The figure, the one that Minato had called Thanatos, sighed in exasperation before he shifted forms. The were a pulse of blue energy as the wings, the sword, and the mask vanished into the ether, leaving a pale boy a few years older than Minato and Tasuku in its place.

"Yo," Ryoji waved at the shell-shocked Monsters and the lone human. "Did I give you a good scare? I've been practicing that for a while!"

"Ryoji..." Minato warned.

"Fine, fine. You better make it up to me though. Maybe if we did a Buddyfight together..."

"It's a waste of time."

"You're no fun as usual." Ryoji pouted before he turned towards the others. "Flies might fly in if your mouth is open like that." he winked.

Miserea was the first person to regain his composure, followed by Jack, Tasuku, and finally Drum.

"Did you just summon the 4th Knight of the Apocalypse to help you explain?" Drum asked. Ryoji tilted his head.

"4th Knight of the Apocalypse? No, you must have gotten confused with Pale Rider." At the blank expression from everyone else save Minato, Ryoji rolled his eyes.

"Really? You know, the Pale Rider from the Book of Revelations, 'and all of Hell followed him'. Does that ring a bell?" When everybody shook their heads Ryoji grinned.

"No," Minato shot back. Ryoji deflated.

"Come on, please? I never got to do this before! You let Orpheus do it earlier!"

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose, anticipating the headache that was going to happen. "Fine. But only do the voice. No transformation."

"I'll have to make do with that," Ryoji sighed as he cleared his throat.

**"I am Thou. And Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I come. I am the end of the beaten path. I am the herald of the endless night. I am Thanatos, Harbinger of Nyx. From thine I was born, and by thy side I shall walk."**

When those echoing words finished, Ryoji let out a mischievous grin, "Well, what do you think? Was I impressive or what?"

"...I expected the grim reaper to be, you know. A bit more grim," Drum deadpanned. "But anyway, about that explanation..."

"Alright then," Ryoji clapped his hands together as projection equipment manifested into the air around him and hummed to life. "So there's this tree called Yggdrasil..."

Drum's head hurt from the sheer amount of information that Ryoji had thrown his way. He hadn't even understood half of the terms that Ryoji had used, like 'Fused Loop', 'Branch', 'Sakura Syndrome'... He wasn't really the kind of dragon who was interested in the tiny details. That was more of Axia's thing. He then realized that he would have to explain all of this all over again to the dragowizard, and resolved to get help from Tasuku.

"So basically," Tasuku summarized as he looked up from his notes. "The computer that runs the multi-verse is currently being repaired, and time is Looping to keep everything from falling apart?"

"Pretty much," Ryoji answered. "You, Drum, are the Anchor. You're essentially the guy who's keeping everything held together right now and you're always the one who remembers everything."

"Yeah I know... But, why me? Why not Gao?" Drum asked.

"Gao is 12 years old; he's not as stable as you are." Minato replied.

Ryoji sighed. "Listen up Drum. I know you're upset that your friend isn't Awake, that is that he doesn't remember anything. But it'll only be a matter of time before he does become Awake. You just have to be patient."

"I know..." Drum said. "It's just that..."

Minato sighed as he took off his headphones and laid a hand on Drum's shoulder, much to the dragon's and Ryoji's surprise. "I know it hurts; I've been in your situation before. Hang in there, you can pull through it. I know you're strong enough. When he does Awaken, it will be worth the wait. Okay?"

Drum flinched at Minato's touch before he sighed. "I... thanks, I guess." Minato nodded in response before he put went back to his seat.

Ryoji whistled, "Wow I'm jealous. Minato never did anything like that with anyone in Baseline. That's the original timeline by the way, just in case you forgot. Aand I think that's it."

"Not quite," Jack rumbled. "You still need to explain your powers. Tasuku's superiors are going to expect a report about your powers and capabilities. Although both Tasuku and I wish to tell some of them to shove it, we're quite curious ourselves."

"I can help explain it," Joker preened. "Even without these resets I've guided Miserea ever since Yamigeddo was originally sealed all those years ago. After searching my memories, I finally managed to find what I was looking for. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Minato."

When Minato nodded in agreement Joker cleared his throat.

"The thing that caught my interest was this 'Sea of Souls' that you kept talking about. I'm sure all Monsters have at least heard some equivalent of it. In Dungeon World, we call it Amala."

"You mean the Lunar Forest? The afterlife?" Drum inquired before he frowned. "Weird, I don't recall anything like that during Baseline. But right now I'm remembering it perfectly."

"That would be Loop memories," Ryoji explained. "Sometimes when a Loop starts your memories are different. Sometimes the changes are small, but other times you might find yourself in a completely different world!"

"Anyway, in Amala all who die have their souls pass through Amala to be reborn anew. Since Cerberus has told us that Orpheus is dead, here's my theory. Do correct me if I'm wrong." Joker replied. "You are either Orpheus reborn anew in this world, which I highly doubt, or you are somehow summoning Orpheus' spirit, or rather something that mimics his spirit, into the world around you."

"Partially correct," Minato acquiesced. "I draw Personas from the sea of souls, or rather the collective unconscious. Orpheus is as much of a part of me as my soul is. My ego and my very being chose to take that form and power. I did not know Orpheus had existed before in this world."

"So in other words: the reason why you can summon Orpheus is because... your mind fit that form better than other things?" Drum asked. Minato nodded.

"That's one way of looking at it," the blue-haired Looper replied before he looked at the time. "It's getting late. I think it would be best to meet up here again later. Will that be enough information to satisfy your superiors?"

"That should be enough. I'll just tell them that you don't really understand the exact details behind it yourself," Tasuku replied as he and Jack got up. "Thank you for the explanation. That cleared things up quite a bit."

"I'll teach you the Ping and how to create a Subspace Pocket. The Ping's useful for figuring out who is Awake during a Loop and the Pocket helps you transfer objects between Loops."

"Ugh, I'm going to lie down for a bit. My brain hurts..." Drum groaned. "But thanks anyway."

You three can stay here if you want," Kiri offered to Ryoji, Minato, and Drum. "Just give me a moment to clean up the guest beds. I'll make sure to give Gao a call to let him know."

"I'll pass. Gao's probably waiting at home for me. He's had enough time to cool down so I'll head back. Thanks for the offer though," the Anchor replied before he exited out of the house. As he looked up into the night sky Drum was filled with determination. Although there was a lot of pressure, being the anchor of his own native reality was definitely not something to be taken lightly, it was comforting that he was chosen for this job.

"Alright then Gao. I'll wait for you to wake up. And when you do, I'm going to show you how strong I've become." Drum clenched his fist and walked off into the night, his stride was a lot stronger and he stood a little taller as he vanished into the night.


	3. A New Looper? His Name Is The Sun!

I've noticed that I have the tendency to update this compilation every January; since 2017 has rolled in, it's time to uphold the tradition. There's no Vanguard in this chapter, but rest assured that progress will (eventually) be made when my muse revives itself. For now, I present the stylistics of the honourable Solaris Requiem.

* * *

2.00

[Admin-Space]

"You're giving the okay to Activate Gao now?" Skuld asked suspiciously as she peered over Quetzcoatl's feathered and serpentine form. "I assumed that you wanted to wait until a bit later."

"I... underestimated how much of a toll Looping would take on Drum," the Aztec deity admitted. "But with this opportunity I should be able to get Gao active without touching Ikazuchi or Yamigeddo. If I do a soft Activation lock to potential Loopers without a strong connection to Gao AND Drum, I should be able to begin early preventative measure regarding Ikazuchi and Yamigeddo."

"You better have every single countermeasure available," Skuld narrowed her eyes. "The latest expansion to the timeline did not look promising. Although Ikazuchi has attempted to redeem himself by assisting the resealing of Yamigeddo, he ended up being taken over by Yamigeddo itself. I expect an update every single Loop iteration, in triplicate. I'm going to look over all of the coding you do for the preventative patches personally. Do NOT screw this up." With those parting words, the Goddess of Fate left the room.

"Alright then," the serpent sighed, "Let's get to work."

2.01

[Future Card Buddyfight]

"WINNER: GAO MIKADO!" the stadium announcer stated.

Tasuku dusted himself off as he walked towards the person that would be his closest friend. As usual, he ended up losing to Gao on his first match. But considering the fact that Gao had both luck and skill very early on into the Loop (that and the fact that he was only beaten ONCE Baseline).

"Very impressive. You've got a lot of potential Gao," the teenage officer stated as he reached into his pocket to hand Gao the card he always handed him. Gargantua Punisher was a unique card designed for Tasuku only, but in Baseline he had given it to Gao in recognizing him as his rival. Tasuku honestly had a lot of better cards in his Pocket as well as all of the decks that he and Jack had developed later in the Loop.

"But that's-" Gao began. Tasuku kept a patient smile on his face despite the fact that he had had this exchange with Gao for what felt like the thousandth time.

"I think you'll be able to unlock this card's potential. Don't worry, I have a lot more of them in my deck," he reassured Gao. The red-haired teen seemed to be a bit hesitant but eventually he nodded and took the card from Tasuku's waiting hand.

There was a spark of energy between the two of them, one that Tasuku had never quite felt before, as Gao took the card. There was a flash of light as Tasuku's picture on the card was replaced by Gao's: a sign that Gao was now the owner of the card... That was until Gao would give it back to him back later on in the Loop.

But to Tasuku's shock Gao suddenly lurched forward nearly falling on his face. Tasuku managed to catch his friend from falling on the ground, but found Gao to be completely unresponsive. The surrounding crowd gasped in shock as the audience began to chatter and panic.

"Gao, you alright!?" Tasuku shouted as he tried to rouse his friend Awake. Inwardly he was starting to panic; this had never happened in Baseline! What was going on?!

"What's going on?!" Drum demanded as he was by his Buddy's side in an instant, looking just as alarmed as Tasuku was.

"He just collapsed when I gave him my Impact card. This-"

"This never happened in Baseline, I know. We need to get him the nurse, fast. The last time this happened..." Drum grit his teeth.

"The last time?!" Tasuku hissed.

"I'll explain later. I can carry him to the infirmary myself, but I'm going to need you and Jack to get everyone out of our way. Got it?"

"Roger," Tasuku nodded with a grim expression on his face. "Let's go."

With his partner in his arms, Drum burst out of the coliseum with Jack and Tasuku forcing everyone out of his way.

Drum grit his teeth as he remembered THAT one Loop. The one Loop he hadn't felt as powerless and weak as he did during Baseline. The one Loop that scared him more than anything that Yamigeddo or Kyoya ever did.

[hr]

"It looks like he's just exhausted," the nurse stated as she addressed the anxious humans and two Monsters outside of the infirmary. "A day or so of rest should be all that he needs."

Everyone collectively gave a sigh of relief as they heard the good news; it looked like an enormous weight was lifted off of Drum's shoulders.

"That's a relief," Kurugu sighed. "But why would Gao collapse? He's... well, Gao."

"His mom tends to drive him into the ground with training," Baku explained as he recalled Gao's complaints from earlier that day. "But it never really bothered him before. He was perfectly fine earlier today."

"All we can really do now is to wait..." Tasuku sighed. It had taken a bit of convincing before the Commander allowed him to watch over Gao, citing the red-haired teen's potential as a skilled Buddyfighter as an adequate reason to keep watch over him. "Don't you have cram school to go to? I've got excuse as a Buddy Police officer and Drum doesn't go to school."

"But-" Kurugu began before Baku cut her off.

"Gao'll be fine. Knowing him, he'll be back up and complaining about everything within the next hour," the boy reassured her. "Besides, Tasuku and Drum can take care of it. Tasuku's part of the police and Drum's Gao's buddy. They can take care of it."

"Al-alright," Kurugu answered before she was reluctantly dragged away by Baku. When the two were out of sight and the nurse went back into the infirmary, the blue-haired Looper turned to Drum.

"Earlier, when you talked about 'what happened last time', what did you mean?" Tasuku inquired. Drum looked at the human with solemn eyes and sighed.

"Listen, I really don't want to talk about it. That Loop happened before you guys started remembering things, and the more I think about that Loop the more depressed I get."

"It might be best if you told us," Jack rumbled as he took his mini form alongside Drum's own. "If nothing else, getting it off of your chest might help a lot."

Drum sighed, "Listen, I know you guys want to help. But it's MY problem, not yours."

"Gao's our friend too Drum," Tasuku reminded the red dragon. "It's our problem as much as yours. He's the one who brought us all together in the first place."

Drum closed his eyes and exhaled, "Alright... You win. I'll tell you. Now, you remember how Gao's brother, Yota, died when he was young?"

"Yeah, Gao never really told us in person about it, but it came up during his background check. Why?"

Drum looked Tasuku dead in the eye, "The illness was hereditary that Loop. The moment after his first duel with you, almost in the exact same situation situation as this time, he collapsed and was hospitalized."

"He tried to hide it at first; keeping the details from all of his friends. His brave act had all of his friends and family fooled, you two included. But I was the only one who really saw it. After the events with Kyoya Gaen and the Darkness Dragon World invasion, he couldn't even get out of his bed without my help. And things just got worse from there."

Tasuku and Jack remained silent as Drum continued.

"At first I thought that he was going to get better because of, you know, Yamigeddo. But then someone else that I never heard of just ended up taking his place. Tenbu ended up meeting another person with another Buddy and that was that. Gao just got weaker and weaker in the background." Drum clenched his fists. "I just... never felt so helpless before. For all of my strength, for all of the Loops that I've gone through, I watched Gao die slowly and painfully. And there was not a single thing I could do to help him."

Drum exhaled, "I'm relieved that the Loop ended before he actually did end up dying. I guess that was a small mercy despite... everything."

The silence stretched on between the three Loopers with none of them knowing what to even say.

Drum broke the silence, "You wanted to hear what I wanted to say? Well, there you go. But let's move on, moping around what could have been or what had been isn't going to change anything. Gao's alive and well this Loop and frankly, that's the only thing that matters to me. Even if he's not Awake."

Tasuku frowned as Drum tried to hide the melancholy and despair in his voice. Maybe it would be worth getting Axia to come over early to cheer him up. If nothing else Drum would be too annoyed at Axia's antics to really focus on that Loop long ago.

"Sorry," Tasuku sighed. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. You had the right to know, I just wish I didn't have to tell you."

The silence returned shortly after that, leaving the three Loopers alone with their thoughts and contemplation. There was nothing that could be said, nor did anyone even know what to say.

The sound of the door sliding open caught their attention before the school's nurse stood outside and caught their collective attention. "It looks like Gao might be waking up soon. But I'm only allowing the rest of you in since Tasuku's part of the Buddy Police and Drum is his Buddy. Had it been anyone else, I would have insisted that they wait outside. But if you make too much noise I WILL be forced to kick you out. Got it?"

"Thank you, ma'am," Tasuku bowed in appreciation. The nurse shook her head and gave him a gentle smile.

"I'm just doing my job," she replied as she stepped aside to allow the trio inside the infirmary. The clean white interior of the room and the smell of medicine brought unpleasant thoughts to Drum's mind, but he did he best to focus on the present.

Gao was motionless on the white hospital bed, and the sight brought another wave of bad memories to the forefront of Drum's mind. He pushed them aside forcefully as he advanced forward.

"So... I guess we just have to wait for a bit." Jack rumbled as he Tasuku pulled up a chair to sit on. Drum opted to remain standing but tried not to look at Gao's unconscious form for too long. But as always, he remained by his partners side.

A minute or so passed but Gao remained completely and utterly unconscious. Drum was starting to get a bit impatient and worried, tapping his scaled and armored foot on the ground after he resumed his normal form now that there was enough space in the infirmary to fit it.

"When is he going to get up?" Drum asked, starting to get a bit impatient and a little worried. He peered over his partner's prone form as he frowned. "The lady said that he was going to wake up-"

BANG! There was a resounding clang as stubborn human skull met armored dragon skull in a clash of metal when Gao suddenly stood up in the bed. It was a collision that neither side won as they both clutched their heads in pain.

"Ow... What was that for?!" Drum groaned as he pulled off his golden helm to rub at the lump that was starting to grow. "Did you really have to get up like..."

"Drum!" Gao exclaimed as he got out of bed immediately and back onto his two feet, looking just as energetic as ever. "The school! Yamigeddo just turned it to..." Gao began before he looked around himself in confusion at his surroundings.

"Wait... didn't Yamigeddo turn the entire school and everything in it to stone?" the red-haired teen remarked as he looked around at the VERY non-petrified room. "So why is the infirmary alright? What am I even doing here?" he asked, not even registering the slowly growing realization that was making its way to the other people's faces.

Drum felt something catch in his throat as he dared, dared to hope. "Y-You remember?" he asked hesitatingly.

"Of course I do! We almost beat Yamigeddo in a Buddyfight but it ran away just as we were about to win. I mean, you got an awesome new form with that fight too so I guess- OOF!" Gao was cut off by a very unexpected hug from a VERY happy armordragon.

"You remember!" Drum laughed, looking infinitely more happier than either Tasuku and Jack had ever seen him since Baseline. "What took you so long, dammit?!"

"D-Drum... a-air. I can't breathe..." Gao croaked. Drum immediately let go after he seemed to realize what he was currently doing.

"Sorry about that," the dragon blushed as he scratched his head before trying to act like he hadn't given his partner a bone-crushing hug. "Don't know what got into me."

Gao took a moment to look at Drum with an appraising eye. "Are... are you crying?" he asked in disbelief.

"N-No I'm not!" Drum exclaimed as he tried to wipe away said tears away. "Oh screw it. Fine, I'm crying, but that's your fault! Why did it take you so long to remember?!"

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about! Can just you please tell me what's going on?" Gao protested.

Tasuku and Jack gave a knowing smiles to each other before leaving the joyous Drum and the confused Gao to do some much needed catch-up. In the meanwhile, he would spread the news to Kiri and Axia, although he was pretty sure that the effeminate dragon probably already knew what was going on. He was the one who was worried about Drum the most, after all.

[hr]

"So you're telling me that time's been resetting for a while? And that's because the computer that runs the universe is being fixed?" Gao asked after he cleaned off his plate of all the meats and food on it. The Omni Lord had declared an impromptu party when had found out the good news, and as such all of the other Loopers had been simultaneously invited.

"Yeah. I was the first one to remember stuff," Drum sighed. "After that it was Axia."

"Nice to see you again for real this time, Gao-wow," the dragon chirped as he began to devour the ice-cream cake that Kiri had made himself. "It's nice to see you two back together. Drum-kins here was getting more and more mopey every single Loop. It's good to see him back to his normal self."

Drum sighed as he promptly ignored Axia's teasing, having long since acclimated to the Dragowizard's company. "Anyway, after that it was Tasuku and Jack. Then after that it was Kiri. And after Kiri, you started remembering everything."

"Does Joker remember-"

"I do not," Joker replied with a shrug. "But whatever makes Miserea happy is more than enough for me. It is nice to see him make such loyal friends. Besides, I've accompanied in from the shadows for thousands of years! I have a lot more experience than the rest of you combined!"

Gao looked at his eyes as Drum finished his explanation, "Drum... How many of these Loops have you gone through?" he asked. The Anchor shrugged as he turned back to his bowl of takoyaki.

"I lost count after the first 50," Drum admitted. "You really kept me waiting for a while Gao."

Gao draped an arm around the dragon's shoulder and grinned. "Well, now we're in this together from now on. That's all that matters, right?"

Drum grinned back. "Yep that's all that matters right now."

The party continued for a few more hours as the formerly quiet and desolate home was filled to the brim with laughter and celebration. Unseen outside, an feathered serpent watched from the outside and nodded with satisfaction. With a flash of light and energy he vanished without a trace, his work done.

2.02

[Future Card Buddyfight]

The currently golden-haired Kendo prodigy Drum Mikado groaned as he staggered into his room. As soon as he got to the bed he promptly collapsed on his face. His Buddy Monster, a golden dragon with red hair laughed his ass off with a knowing smile.

"How was school today?" Gao chirped at him in his scaled and armored form. The former blond-haired and red scaled dragon tried to glare at him but his brain was too fried for it to have its proper weight. The fact that he was currently a human kid didn't really help matters either.

"How do you go through this every single Loop?!" Drum demanded as he felt his brain hurting behind his skull. "It was torture! Literally! I thought I was going to die of boredom!"

"I just got used to it after a while," Gao cackled manically. "Now you feel my pain. I had to go through 5 years of it before the Loops. But now I have to sit through the exact same lectures OVER and OVER again! It's starting to drive me mad to be honest."

"Don't remind me. Things were a lot simpler when I wasn't human. Half of the stuff is just useless to me. Back in Dragon World, I learned combat strategies, fighting techniques, as well as myths and legends. Not this... 'math' stuff or 'science' stuff."

"That's just way the human world works," Gao chuckled.

"I take back everything I said about your world. It sucks; the only thing that's good here are the food and the people."

"There, there," Gao patted the prone human on the back. "I happen to have multiple copies of the different homework assignments that got assigned to us in class. If you help me catch up with you in Buddyfight I'll let you use them..."

"Deal." Drum said immediately. "Hand them over. I want to get this stupid homework thing out of the way now. Then hopefully when I wake up tomorrow things will make a bit more sense."

"Also," Gao added. "I'm going to need you to help me learn how to control Future Force after this Loop is over. Even though I've been asking for advice from Tasuku, I still can't get it to working. You should be able to access it since you're human now."

"It's not that hard," Drum repeated as he reached into the well of potential within his body. He drew upon the connection between the current him and the person he was fated to become; his future self. A golden light began to pour into the room as he began to exude limitless power.

"No fair!" Gao complained. "I never managed to get it working for me! How did you get it done so easily?!"

Drum shrugged. "It just came naturally to me. I think it's your mindset that matters."

Gao pouted before he turned away from Drum. "I take back my offer. You can suffer through the homework and projects by yourself." he sulked. The currently human Drum twitched.

"W-Wait I was kidding!" Drum panicked as he ran to Gao and shook him desperately. "Come on, please?!"

"No."

"Aww come on! You just said that you would help me out!"

"Make me," Gao stuck out his tongue childishly. "Why don't you ask Axia for help. He would be more than happy to tutor you personally."

"Every time I go near him he yells 'Drum-senpai!' and tackles me! Even if it's in the middle of school! It's one thing when he does it in private but with that many people around," he groaned. "I don't want people getting the wrong idea!"

"Well then, you better suck it up because I'm not going to help you."

2.03

[Future Card Buddyfight / Digital Devil Saga]

Drum had lost count of the times that he had stood in front of the giant coliseum that was currently hosting the Gaen Cup; a ploy to open up a portal to Darkness Dragon World and unleash an army to destroy the human world for Kyoya and his 'friends' to rule over. Unfortunately neither Kiri, Tasuku, or Jack were going to be Awake this time around. He had already met up with Axia and confirmed that had all of his memories intact. But there was something else that was bothering the Anchor ever since the Loop had started.

'I got five responses to the Ping early onto the Loop... So who the heck are the last two?' he wondered to himself.

One of Gao's otherwise most admirable characteristics was going to be a bit of a pain. Had it been anybody else but Kyoya or that cheating scumbag Davide, Drum would have supported his partner's decision every step of the way. But this time was an exception.

"Gao I understand you want to talk to Kyoya, but trust me it never works out," Drum sighed.

"You don't know that! It could be different this time!" Gao protested. "I know him better than I did last time. I can get through to him!"

"That's what you said last time we got to this point in the Loop," Drum replied. "And the time before that. I know you want to try to change things but, you just have to just have to know when to cut your losses..."

"I'm not giving up on him."

"I'm not telling you to give up on him," Drum insisted as the two made their way closer to the complex. "I'm telling you to be patient. You won't be able to convince him right NOW, so just try again after the tournament."

Gao looked like he wanted to protest but he grudgingly accepted his Buddy's proposal as the two made their way closer to the tournament venue. But before either of them could even take another step forwards a familiar voice caught both of their attentions.

"Drum-kins! Gao-wow!" Axia called out the the blue dragon waved his hand frantically. Drum instinctively flinched as he anticipated the flying glomp from the affectionate dragon... which never came strangely enough. The red dragon took a moment to realize that, for once, Axia didn't shower him with affection for the first time that he consciously remembered.

"Hey, Axia!" Gao waved back enthusiastically as the monster trotted forward happily, "You look like you're in a good mood. What's the occasion? I thought you left to find your Buddy."

Axia looked positively radiant with joy as he got closer. "Yep! I did. I searched far and wide for so long, but I finally found my Buddy!"

Drum blinked as he processed what he just said, "Wait, what!?" Axia had never found his Buddy in Baseline, especially not this early on.

"Yep, I'll introduce you to him!" Axia chirped as he looked over his shoulder. "Hey, over here! Come and meet my friends!" he called out behind him. And Drum watched two figures emerged from the crowd: a boy and a girl that were at least a few years older than Gao.

The girl was dressed in light gray jacket with orange sleeves along with a medium length black skirt. A pair of sleek, knee-high boots with white stockings completed the look. Her eyes and hair were a deep onyx, almost like the night sky, and the gentle smile on the girl's pale face that set the dragon at ease for some reason that Drum couldn't really explain. She almost radiated a warm aura like the sun itself.

The boy wore what looked like an... armored jacket of some sort with a bright orange stripe emblazoned across the chest. A matching set of somewhat armored pants and steel-toed boots completed the ensemble, making the boy stick out like a sore thumb among the lightly clothed civilians around him. It honestly looked like the boy was geared up for combat rather than just a casual walk around the city. The silver hair and the piercing silver eyes did not really help. His skin was as pale as Sera's and there was nothing but a neutral frown on his face that betrayed no emotion.

But the one thing that caught Drum's attention was the simple black tattoo on the boy's left cheek: an eyeless maw with a fan-like crown on the top of it. It reminded Drum of a large geyser or fountain for some reason.

"So," Axia clapped his hands together. "This is my Buddy Serph and his sister Sera. Serph and Sera, these are my friends Gao-wow and Drum-kins."

"It's nice to meet you," the girl, Sera, replied as she smiled at Drum and Gao. "Axia told us a lot about you."

"Good things I hope," Drum chuckled.

"He did," the boy, Serph stated. "He has a very high opinion of you and he really cares about you as a friend."

"Aww, shucks Serph. You're making me blush," Axia chimed as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. A flicker of a smile flashed across Serph's face before it vanished without a chase.

Sera laughed softly, "You kept talking about how excited you were to introduce us to your friends. I remember that you tried to get the both of us to practice-"

"Sera!" Axia cried out indignantly before the effeminate dragon pouted, "You promised that you wouldn't tell them."

"Sorry about that," the girl giggled. "But aren't you two supposed to head to the registration desk? Axia told us that you two were competing."

Gao shrugged, "No big deal. We still have plenty of time. Come one, this way! We might be able to get you some good seats. Then we can introduce you to the rest of the team!" with those words Gao charged off past the crowd and towards the place where the registration desk always seemed to be.

"Well then, we better catch up before Gao leaves us all behind... again," Drum sighed as he looked towards Serph, Sera and the exuberant Axia who was holding the hand the smiling Sera with one hand and the somewhat uncomfortable but tolerating Serph with the other. It had been a while since he last saw Axia this... bright and cheerful. He had been searching for a Buddy throughout most of the Loops and he had yet to find a single one. Until this time around at least.

Although Axia was way too clingy for his liking and he violated his personal space more times than he could count, Drum was happy for him.

[hr]

Ten to fifteen minutes later Serph, Sera, Drum, Axia, and Gao were making their ways down the halls in order to meet up with the other member's of Gao's Buddyfight team, the Balle du Soleil.

"You have no idea how long it took to convince Serphy to start playing Buddyfight!" Axia replied, not noticing Serph twitch at the use of his Axia-made nickname. "But thanks to Sera we're both in it to win it!"

"Maybe we'll be able to fight sometime!" Gao grinned, "Don't worry, Drum and I will be sure to give you a few pointers."

"Thank you," Serph acknowledged as he glanced around to ensure nobody else was around. "Axia told us that you had some... problems with Loops."

Drum blinked, "Wait, you two were the ones who sent out the other two Pings?" Serph and Sera nodded in response.

"I found out from them later after I became Serph's Buddy!" Axia cheered. "We were meant to meet!"

Drum rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Axia's comment. Serph and Sera seemed to allow Axia to have his fun, although Drum could tell that they both were enjoying just listening to Axia's jovial laughter and teasing.

"So, how are you two liking this Loop?" Gao asked casually as the five went down to the team waiting area.

"It's... a lot more peaceful than where we are from," Serph remarked. "We really like it a lot here."

"We don't get that many Loops like this," Sera chimed with a bright smile on her face. "So both Serph and I are going to enjoy this as much as we can."

"How was it like back in your home Loop?" Drum asked curiously. Serph and Sera's small smiles vanished nigh instantly and there was a stretch of silence between the group.

"We'd... rather not talk about it," Sera replied as she broke eye contact with Drum.

"Sorry about that," the Anchor apologized awkwardly as he looked ahead, desperate to change the topic. "Hey, isn't that Tetsuya and the others?" he asked, pointing towards a small group 4 teenagers and a single, tall, monster further down the hall. Among them was Gao's old friends Baku and Kurugu. But next to the tall monster was a smaller kind in a yellow hoodie and a white cap that was spun backwards.

"Alright let's introduce you to everyone else!" Gao cheered as went ahead. "Hey guys, over here!" he called out.

"Yo, Gao! What took you so long?" Tetsuya asked, his emerald eyes twinkling behind his golden hair. Accompanying him was a large, well-built... demon for the lack of a better term. He wore a short hooded shirt over his pink-skinned body with a spaded tail resting behind him. It was Asmodai, the Second Omni Lord.

"Sorry, Axia met up with us out front and we got carried away talking," Gao explained sheepishly. "I thought that I could get him and his Buddy some good seats."

"Zanya and Akatsuki already went ahead," Baku replied. "They wanted to scout ahead for our first few opponents. So, you mind introducing them?"

"Oh, right!" Gao realized. "Tetsuya, Asmodai, Kurugu, Baku, this is Serph and Sera. Serph's Axia's Buddy."

"It is nice to meet the rest of you," Sera replied kindly. Serph nodded in acknowledgement but remained somewhat silent.

"Same here," Kurugu replied. "It's nice to see another girl around here."

"That's an... interesting mark you've got there Serph." Asmodai replied casually as he peered at the tattoo on Serph's face. Drum noticed that something was a bit off with the Magic World monster; he had his guard up. For some reason, that mark on Serph's face had bothered him immensely. But why?

"I think it looks pretty cool," Tetsuya chimed. "But come we better get a move on! The first match starts in a few minutes. We don't want to be late!"

"Lead the way!" Gao was already charging ahead of the group towards the team's pit. With a knowing groan the rest of Gao's friends quickly decided to follow after the energetic Looper.

"Hey, can I talk to Axia and Serph for a sec?" Asmodai called out before they left. "We need to do some catch up and talk about Magic World stuff!"

"Just make it quick!" Tetsuya called out as Sera was led away by Kurugu. "I'll make sure to save you a good seat!"

When loud chattering group of people finally moved elsewhere, the smile on Asmodai's face vanished instantly as he turned to Serph.

"Listen up, I'm not the kind of person to judge other people by their looks but that tattoo of yours... It's awfully familiar to me," Asmodai stated coldly.

"I never wanted it," Serph replied flatly as he met the Monster's gaze without so much as flinching. "If I could have gotten rid of it for good, I would have already done so years ago."

"I already know WHAT Serph is," Axia hissed, shifting into his larger form. Gone was the small and petite dragon in the small black robe, and in his place was a lithe dragon battle-mage clad in black and gold armor. A tall winged staff was clenched in his right hand and a thick tome of spells lay in his left. "And I don't care. He's my Buddy, and that's all that matters to me."

Asmodai raised an hairless eyebrow in response. "Do you really know?"

"It was the first thing he told me when I first asked to be his Buddy. And I still agreed to it because in the end, what he was didn't matter to me. All that did matter to me was the kind of person he was. And if you so much as lay a finger on him..." A storm of arcane energy filled the air with latent electricity, surrounding the dragowizard like a cloak of tightly harnessed potential. "I will END you, Omni Lord or not."

"Relax, relax," Asmodai relented. "Like I said, I'm not the kind of monster to judge people at face value. But keep in mind, others might not take kindly to your friend here. Just wanted to give you a heads up, and to make sure you knew what you were getting into." With those words Asmodai put his arms behind his head and walked off to meet up with the others.

Axia glared at Asmodai once before shifting back into his smaller form. "I swear."

"...Thanks." Serph replied simply. Axia turned back with a bright grin on his face.

"No problem, anything for my Buddy~" the dragon cooed. "Come on, let's catch up with the others. They're probably getting sick of waiting for us." He grabbed Serph by the hand before leading the silver-haired Looper down the hallway. There was a small smile on Serph's face, one that was impossible to see if you didn't know where to look.

2.04

[Future Card Buddyfight / Digital Devil Saga]

The night sky was clear; a deep blue with countless pinpricks of light streaming down from above. No matter how many times Serph saw the miraculous dance of light and darkness above him, he never grew sick of it. In his home world all he knew was the endless silver rain of the Junkyard, where his tribe fought and annihilated its enemies. The night, Shade Time as they had called it back then, had no such things as stars; only a pitch blackness that swallowed everything around them. And even when he and his tribe escaped the Junkyard, all they ever saw was scorching black sun sending endless streams of corrupted data down into the surface of the dying earth.

The moon shone brightly overhead, sending its silver light cascading upon the grass outside of Gao's house while the celebratory party of passing the first round of the Gaen Cup was underway. Serph had chosen to forgo the ceremonies and simply enjoy the relative peace and quiet while it lasted.

Here, at least, there was no constant struggle for survival. The endless fighting, destroying, killing that had permeated every aspect of his home was notably absent. It was a pleasant feeling that he never truly gotten used to despite countless Loops. Sera was more accustomed to brightness of life: she freely made connections and with everyone around her and wove a network of friends nearly effortlessly. Serph, on the other hand, did not feel the need to forge so many intimate connections. The connections with the other members of his tribe: Gale, Agrilla, Cielo, and Heat were more than enough for him. They had conquered and fought side by side, back to back in the quicksilver rain. They had destroyed the other five tribes of the Junkyard to make their way to the world beyond. And even after that, they once more fought under a black and corrupted sun to reclaim and renew the barren Earth beneath them.

What bonds could he truly forge here in this place of peace that would be even comparable to the ones he had already made? Serph only knew the ways of the Junkyard, after all. He was more comfortable in the throes of combat than at a party. He had negotiated between tribes: but he never truly gotten accustomed to making small conversations with the ease and grace that Sera had. He was born in the battlefield and lived all of his life there. Now that he came across a place almost completely devoid of combat, he was at a loss of what to do.

_**REND! SLAUGHTER! DEV-**_

Serph buried the spike of blood-lust and hunger with practiced ease. There was no need for fighting in this world; there was no enemy to fight yet. In this world he was not truly needed in the ways that his home world had required of him. He did not need Varuna this Loop.

The sliding door opened as a wave of sound was suddenly released into the night air followed by the creaking strain of the deck of the porch. Serph glanced behind him, expecting Axia or Sera to call him back in for something. He did not expect a very tall and broad red dragon that Drum had called his 'dad'. Fang Slade Terrestrial XIII resembled his son closely, although he was much taller Drum was. His skin, crossed and marred by countless scars was dull with age but was still just as strong, if not stronger. Fang's hair was a pale white hue and his eyes were a piercing silver. His armor was worn and rang softly as the older monster took a few steps forward. Serph's silver eyes met Fang's gray eyes for a short moment before the dragon broke eye contact first with a huff.

"You mind if you moved over? The others kids are making a racket inside, I just wanted to get some fresh air real quick before I headed back in." the dragon rumbled. Serph nodded as he gave the much larger dragon room. Fang rumbled as he appraised the silver-haired Looper before him.

"You know, your Buddy really admires you a lot. It's rare to see someone so devoted, and I've seen a lot!" the dragon laughed before his expression grew serious once more. "But I can see what he's talking about when I take a good look at you, kid."

"What do you see?" Serph asked. Fang huffed before obliging Serph's request.

"I see someone who had seen too much. You've got a warrior's eyes. Not only that, but you've got a leader's eyes. You've lived through things that most of the kids back over there could never really grasp. Makes sense though: the only fight majority of them have seen was Buddyfights. They haven't seen what real fighting's like. Not like how you and I know it."

"You don't know me."

"Of course I don't, we've just met each other after all. But I think we're similar enough for me to take an educated guess. Ruling the largest tribe in Dragon World isn't just about mediating arguments and doing ceremonies. Back in my day when my world was still in turmoil I personally destroyed six of the warring kingdoms there, all in the name of peace. I've had my fair share of blood and death, but then again I'm not an Asura like you are."

Serph sighed, "First Asmodai and then you. I was hoping that it wouldn't be so obvious."

"The Asura are the kind of stuff that parents used to tell their kids to scare them. After all, nothing's scares a bunch of hatchlings like stories of shape-shifting cannibals. It's one thing for a Monster to obtain a human form... But a human obtaining a monster form? That's something else entirely. The brand on your cheek gives you away for those who know the signs. But those are only the ancient monsters. Most monsters these days only think of the Asura as the stuff of legends."

"Did you come to threaten me to not eat your son?" Serph asked flatly. Fang shook his head.

"As much as I give him trouble, my son's strong enough to take care of himself. He's really changed since the last time I saw him. Sometimes it's like I'm looking at a completely different person!" the dragon rumbled with a small bit of melancholy in his voice. "Besides, I'm a pretty good judge of character. You're not the type of person that would eat people left and right, and you're not the kind of person that would go back on his word. You only fight as a last resort when there is no other option, despite everything that you've gone through. Am I right?"

Serph acknowledged his assessment with nothing more than a small nod, and that seemed to satisfy the older dragon before something akin to a curiosity colored his expression.

"But, you know... Call it an old dragon's whim but I've never seen really seen an Asura in person before and I only heard second-hand information about their strength. Would you mind if you-?"

"I'm not the best at Buddyfight."

"I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in your true strength. I can give you a place to... stretch your legs if you know what I mean. We'll be back before anyone else knows it."

Serph considered the offer briefly and in the end, as much as he enjoyed the peace and quiet, both he and his Asura side both longed for combat.

"Very well," he sighed before Fang nodded in acknowledgment. The dragon laid a hand on his shoulder and they both vanished with a flurry of golden fragments.

Serph found himself in a deserted plain in a completely different world. The air was fresh and tranquil; the atmosphere was still and silent. But there was something about this place that resonated deeply within Serph's unconscious mind. The ground was cracked and beaten as jagged mountains dotted the landscape and loomed overhead.

"Welcome to Dragon World," a voice called out from the shadows. Serph turned behind him and we greeted by an intimidating sight. Fang stood unwavering before him with his dull armor shining the stars and moon. But his posture was upright and rigid and he looked towards Serph with a piercing gaze. "This place in particular used to be a desolate battlefield torn apart by the warring clans. I fought here more than my fair share of times personally, but nowadays nobody even comes near this place due to how many people died here. We won't be disturbed at all."

A corona of fire and energy engulfed Fang's entire body, wreathing his scarred physique in a brilliant nova of color. "It is customary for the person being challenged to strike first. Your move, Asura."

Serph closed his eyes and exhaled. He turned his focus within, to the being that was as much of a part of Serph as his very soul and being was. He had long since accepted his other side, although he had not embraced the savagery and hunger that came hand in hand with his powers. There was no denying his hunger for battle, that there was some part of him that longed for strife and violence. But with that acceptance came power and understanding. Varuna was always at his side and was eager to heed his call. He raised his left hand to the dark brand on his cheek and whispered a single mantra to shatter the chains.

"Om mani padme hum."

A vortex of water and ice formed instantly around Serph's glowing form before it too was rent asunder in a burst of light and force. When the storm parted Varuna, Lord of Ice and Water, roared in triumph to the moonlit sky. Its skin was black and blue in color with nimble digit-grade legs. Thick plates of sharp bone covered its arms, shoulders, and torso as a natural form of armor. Its eyes were hidden beneath a tall crown of shell and bone as the monster bared its sharp teeth with a hiss.

"Impressive," Fang remarked before Varuna surged forward. The armored monstrosity advanced with ground-breaking strides with each step creating a ring of frost with each foot fall. Within less than a second the Asura had closed the distance between the two combatants as it brought a chilling roundhouse kick to dragon's left side. The dragon did not even attempt to move out of the way; only bringing up an arm to lazily block the attack.

BANG!

There was a hiss of steam as Fang blocked the wild kick without so much as flinching before returning with a empowered strike of his own while Varuna was off-balance. The Asura redirected the momentum of his attack to quickly create distance between the two combatants, barely avoiding the otherwise devastating attack.

"Not bad," the dragon grunted as he shook his arm. The kick made by Varuna had left a patch of his arm burned raw by the icy cold that the Asura exuded but Fang merely pushed the pain aside as he waited to counter Varuna's next move.

Although the demonic Looper had many Loops worth of experience to draw upon, the fact that this impromptu duel was non-lethal made it exceedingly difficult for him draw upon his more destructive spells. Under the same reasoning, the blades that were stored in his arms couldn't be used in this scenario; all he could really do was to enhance his kicks and strikes with ice energy. It didn't really help that his current opponent currently utilized fire, his elemental weakness, to a masterful degree.

He drew upon the well of energy within himself as the surrounding air temperature dropped to near absolute zero, flash-freezing the ground around him before manifesting several spikes of pure ice from around the dragon. With but a single gesture the Asura sent the frozen projectiles through the air, whistling as they cut through the frigid air.

But such a simple attack was useless against Fang, who cloaked his body in a nova of heat and charged forwards against the storm of ice. The spikes, held together by Varuna's will were quickly pushed aside and shattered upon contact with Fang's empowered strikes. And before Varuna could even think of dodging, Fang had already gotten back into close-combat range with his fist raised. The Asura could only put up a hasty block before the attack slammed home with a sizzling impact.

Varuna was sent skidding backwards as he felt his arms almost shatter from the colossal attack. The corona of fire only made things worse. But it looked like his opponent hadn't remained completely unscathed.

"Ow!" Fang hissed as he shook his hand. "What is that armor even made out of?!" he cursed. Varuna looked down at where Fang's attack had landed and noted bloody marks where the dragon's unarmored fist had met his spiked and jagged armor.

It took Varuna conscious effort to take his mind off of the tempting sight of fresh blood and refocus on the fight ahead of him. He could feel the hunger slowly begin to make its way through his mind; the urge to devour was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. But for some reason he could not truly explain, it seemed to be... weaker than how he remembered it to be.

But when Fang charged again with a powerful stride all Varuna could afford to think about was the fight ahead. If nothing else, trying to defeat an opponent like this without resorting to his strongest skills was an interesting challenge.

"Will that be enough?" Varuna asked, his voice raspy and distorted. He had long since lost track of time that he and the dragon had spent in this place. Fang blinked in confusion as he aborted the attack he was about unleash upon Varuna's scorched and beaten body. The dragon himself had his own wounds and bruises from the long and toiling battle between them.

"Is that all?" Fang asked, acting like he hadn't just spent the last four hours fighting fighting against against an the metaphorical bogeyman of the monster Worlds. The elder dragon hadn't even looked the least winded compared to the mentally fatigued Varuna.

"Any more and I might try to kill you," Varuna growled. "And once I get started, I may not be able to stop before one of us dies."

"Fine, we'll cut it off here," Fang nodded before he turned his attention elsewhere. "Although we've attracted quite an audience."

"Audience?" Varuna growled as he looked around before he froze. Along the very edge of his active awareness lay several scattered crowds of dragons, all of which had watched the titanic battle between the clan leader and the outsider.

Varuna hadn't noticed them before; such was his focus on the enemy before him and upon restraining the more savage impulses of his current form that he hadn't truly registered their presence. All of the spectators had stayed just far enough to stay out of the collateral destruction and chaos and to avoid Varuna's passive instincts.

The collected dragons had bore a veritable array of weaponry and armors; indications of the various clan affiliations and races. And they now all cheered and hollered towards the end of the long and toiling fight, which filled Varuna with... something that he never felt before. Was it pride? Triumph? He had previously fought solely to survive and to defend himself and those he considered his allies. It was an unknown feeling that was not completely unpleasant.

"We should probably head back soon, it looks like the sun's about to come up," Fang snapped Varuna out of his thoughts. The Asura nodded before he centered himself, and exhaled. The vortex of light reappeared as the identity of Serph reasserted itself over Varuna. And when the light cleared, the silver haired human was himself once more; the only sign of his transformation was the dimming brand on his face.

Serph wobbled before a second before he reached into his Pocket and withdrew three crimson capsules. They were tiny things, large enough to only hold a few drops of crimson liquid, but Serph swallowed them down regardless, ignoring the taste of iron and gel in his mouth. As he reoriented himself, he could feel the blood capsules begin lull Varuna into a deep slumber once more as the residual hunger vanished for the moment.

"The others are probably going to be worried," Serph blanched as the elder dragon shrugged.

"They'll understand once we explain everything. Let's get going."

The dragon and human departed for the human world in a shower of golden sparks, leaving the spectators gossiping and chattering about what had happened.

2.05

[Future Card Buddyfight]

This was the first time that Drum had ended up in one of the so called "Hub Loops", one of the inner-most realms of the universe. In this world every single world, including his own, was a work of fiction. It was sort of... unsettling feeling at first but then he decided that dwelling on it wouldn't really solve anything. The upside was that he was able to look into what might happen when their timeline got expanded, which led them to the latest problem.

"Wow, he looks cool!" Gao whistled as he looked pictures of an orange dragon with red hair. Said dragon was dressed in a sleeveless vest with over-sized white and gold gauntlets with wings of fire streaming from his back. There was, for some reason a bar of solid metal sticking out of the new dragon's chest. "Can't wait to meet him!"

Drum twitched slightly. The thought of this... random dragon taking his place by Gao's side wasn't exactly the best of feelings. But he was mature enough to hold back his judgment until he met him for the first time. Unfortunately, there hadn't seemed to be any more information regarding this new... dragon.

"We'll have to be the ones to show him the ropes once he starts Looping," Gao remarked casually as he turned to his long-time partner. "When he Awakens, I'll leave that in your hands!"

Drum rolled his eyes as he continued to size up the potential new Buddy. He couldn't help but feel something twist in his gut when he looked at the new dragon though; he dismissed those traitorous thoughts quickly. Gao wouldn't leave him behind that easily, they had been through too much!

But for some reason he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

2.06

[Future Card Buddyfight / Persona 3]

"I'm happy that the others managed to convince you give Buddyfight a chance," Baku said when he met up with Minato a few days later. The blue-haired teen was accompanied by Ryoji, who chose to dress in his usual white-long sleeve shirt with a yellow scarf. The former Persona/Looper had introduced himself as Minato's cousin from abroad, although that hadn't fooled some of the more cannier monsters. They all knew that there was something different about Ryoji, but none of them seemed to want to bring it up.

"It took me hours to get him to try it out," Ryoji sighed. "Eventually the only reason why he agreed was to get me to shut up about it."

Minato refused to comment on that, and instead chose to fidget with the Core Deck Case that Tasuku had delivered to him a few days ago, courtesy of the Buddy Police for assisting them in confronting the masked thief. Apparently when a game started, the deck itself would transform into a Core gadget that would allow for instantly drawing, shuffling, and playing. Minato, for the love of him, couldn't figure out why such technology was wasted on what was fancy shuffling machines. He could probably come up with several different applications alone that were more... useful.

"So, do you have an idea on what World you wanted to use?" Baku asked as he pulled out a large tool-box full of cards. "I've got mostly Dragon World cards but there's a few-"

"No need," Minato shook his head. "I already have something." Baku looked disappointed but perked up.

"You mean you already made your deck?" the teen asked. Minato blinked in confusion.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"Well, yeah you can build your own deck. But usually it's better for a specialist to take control of it. I built Gao's deck myself, and he's been doing okay. Although apparently Drum's been kicking his butt every night when they play together," Baku sighed. "Mind if I take a look? I can give you a few good pointers if you like."

With a shrug of indifference Minato pulled out his deck and handed it over. The deck-builder accepted it, removed the deck from its case, and fanned through it on a nearby table. Kurugu, Gao, Tetsuya, and the others peered over Baku's shoulder to take a look at Minato's deck.

"W-What kind of deck is this?!" Baku gaped as he examined each card closely. Minato frowned.

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"I've never seen this World before," Baku frowned as he sorted through the array of colorful cards. "I don't even recognize half of the monsters or spells here. Where did you get these?!"

Minato frowned as he looked the offending cards and sighed. When Tasuku had given him the deck case, there was a full set of blank cards included. On a whim, he tried to imbue some of the blank cards with his various Personas, much like he did with Nihil Weapons in Baseline. The results were... unexpected.

Rather than absorb the Persona, the cards created a link that he could use to partially invoke them without the use of an Evoker. The exceptions were with Orpheus Telos and Thanatos; all that really did was to imprint an image of them onto the card for later use. The same applied to the spells, if he concentrated hard enough. He was able to replicate his own spell in card form by channeling enough energy into them, although he had required help from Orpheus.

It required further investigation and experimentation. But he had all the time in the world.

Ryoji winked impishly at the flabbergasted Baku, Kurugu, and Gao, "That's for us to know and you not to. I will say this though: these are the only ones of their kind. They're pretty much irreplaceable."

That was a flat-out lie of course, Minato could simply create new cards regardless. But none of them need to know that.

"I call dibs, yo!" Tetsuya bounced around. Gao frowned.

"No fair! I wanted to fight him!" he groaned.

"You can go after! That alright with you Minato?" Tetsuya asked with his eyes shining. Minato sighed the sigh of the damned and nodded.

"Sweet! Let's get started!" Tetsuya cheered. "Meet ya at the stadium!" he called as he ran off.

The blue haired boy felt a headache coming along before he and the others followed the enthusiastic teen towards the school's built-in stadium.

* * *

"It looks like we have quite a fight on our hands!" a pink-haired girl cheered as she floated around the stage in what, literally, was a UFO. "This is your favorite announcer Paruko live from Aibo Academy! It looks like we have quite a show on our hands. The lone transfer student, Minato Arisato will face off against the dance-loving Tetsuya Kurodake!"

"You ready for this? Your Buddy ain't here yet." Tetsuya asked the Looper as they stood on opposite sides of the battle field. The arena appeared to be made from solid, aged, stone with 4 sets of platforms on each side of the field. Minato and Tetsuya stood at the ends while three smaller platforms would be where they would call monsters into battle.

"I'll get him when I need him. Let's get this over with," Minato sighed. Tetsuya laughed while his Buddy Asmodai stood next to him with an easy-going grin on his face.

"Come on, let's get started!" Tetsuya cheered as he brought his deck out. "Let's all dance together! Luminize, Dancing Devils."

The deck morphed into a pair of headphones with a blue jewel set on the right side of it. The ten brought his hand to his ear and summoned forth five glowing cards before him. "You're up!"

"Do I have to do the... chant?" Minato deadpanned. When Tetsuya nodded all the teen could do was groan.

"Come on, have fun with it! It's your first time playing." Tetsuya encouraged Minato. The blue-haired Looper sighed before he brought out his own deck. It took a bit for Minato to come up with something, but there were words that had stuck in his head for as long as he could remember. They were the words that the Avatar of Nyx told him and his allies atop Tartarus, and before he realized it the words spilled from his lips like water.

"The Arcana are the means by which all is revealed. Luminize, Arcana Zero: The Fool." The deck morphed and shifted, creating a familiar gun with a short silver barrel with a cold metal grip. Minato was comforted by the familiar weight of an Evoker before he holstered it on his side.

"Both Core Gadgets are now out!" Paruko cheered. "Now, let's start!"

A green emblem, depicting a six-pointed star with two staves crossed in the center, appeared upon Tetsuya's side of the field. "Magic World's ready, yo!"

And upon Minato's side something... strange occurred. There was the sound of shattering glass as an emblem materialized into existence. It was a monochromatic mask that blazed with ethereal fire. "The Sea of Souls."

The sight of a new flag heralding a brand new world seemed to send the entire area into a storm of gossip and chatter.

"Let's go! Raise the flag!" Paruko cheered as she hovered around the arena. Her Buddy Monster and cameraman Takosuke filmed the surroundings as the match began. "It seems that Minato's brought about a brand new world to start off this match. Let's see where this takes us. It's his move first!"

"Hermes to the center." Minato intoned. There was a flash of azure light before a figure emerged. It bore a caged golden helm with blade-like wings of brass that shone in the lights before it. It was Hermes, the Persona of his friend Junpei. "Attack."

With the command Hermes shot forward with light steps. Sparks of flame echoed as its metallic feet surged forward, leaping across the stone platforms with both of its wings raised to strike. But Tetsuya was more than ready for that.

"I cast Magical Goodbye!" Tetsuya called out as one of the cards in his hand began to glow. It expanded into a complex mandala of golden light that revolved around his palm that the boy threw at the approaching monster. The light bound and constricted the conjured Persona before it shattered into a spark of light, returning back to Minato's hand instantly.

"MOVE END" the battle system announced.

Tetsuya grinned as he drew two cards, sending a card from his hand and into his Gauge. "I call Valefar to the right and Beleth to the center." With two flashes of light, the two Magic World Monsters appeared. One was dressed like a rock-star with a electric guitar in hand while the other was a winged humanoid with heavy armor. "Attack the fighter!"

As the two monsters closed in, Minato glanced at his hand before he sighed. There was no use wasting some of the cards he had now.

Valefar brought forth two curved daggers and slashed at Minato's body with a battle-cry, trisecting his body for a split second and leaving static in their wake and reducing his life points to nine. But Minato didn't even flinch at the attack, he had felt worse during his time.

"Now begone!" Beleth shouted as he raised his weapon high to crush Minato. But Minato was already ready with a counter spell.

"Tetrakarn." he invoked simply as one of the cards in his Gauge burned away to fuel his spell. A crystal shield of energy formed around him just as he swung its weapon down, creating sparks of light and energy. The shield exploded violently, instantly lacerating the attacking monster.

"Oh that's just-" Beleth began before his form shattered into orange sparks.

"Not bad, yo!" Tetsuya grinned as Minato began his turn. "You're pretty good at this, for a beginner."

Minato nodded in response to the compliment before he called forth two more monsters. "Hermes, to the center. I pay one Gauge to call Penthesilea to the right." With two flashes of light Hermes appeared in his golden-winged glory. Accompanying him was an armored empress with a sharp rapier and a dagger. The golden crown on Penthesilea's head glittered in the light.

"Execute Valefar," Minato commanded. The female Persona slashed its weapons horizontally, leaving a blizzard in its wake. The guitar-slinging demon was frozen instantly, his body encased in a tomb of ice. With but a single gesture, the ice shattered instantly and Valefar was destroyed without a single trace. "Hermes, Penthesilea, attack."

The two Personas worked in concert with each other as they charged forwards against the defenseless Tetsuya. Penthesilea brought down her rapier and dagger in concert, slashing Tetsuya apart like rice-paper before Hermes soared through the air and slashed him apart with his wings. Tetsuya cried out in pain as his life total was brought down to five in a single move.

"Your turn," Minato stated as Tetsuya got up.

"Let's get started!" Tetsuya grinned as he began casting cards. To Minato's amusement and bafflement the young teen began to dance.

"I Buddycall Asmodai to the center and discard one card! When that happens, one of your monsters is destroyed!" he cheered as his life jumped back to six. "Thanks to Buddycall, I get one life back."

"Let's do this!" Asmodai cheered as he leapt onto the stage before he teleported behind Hermes and wrapped his arms around the bladed Persona.

BAM!

Minato winced when he watched Hermes get suplexed into the ground but Tetsuya was not done yet. The teen brought back Beleth from the grave before summoning ANOTHER Valefar back onto the field.

"Asmodai, atta-" Tetsuya began before Minato cut him off with a single card shining in his grasp.

"Anima Freeze," Minato intoned. The spell card shifted into an orb of multicolored light that burst instantly, bringing all of the other monsters down to their knees in exhaustion. None of them would be able to attack him this turn. Minato let out a sigh of relief before he turned to Tetsuya.

"You having fun yet?" the boy asked him. Minato blinked before he shrugged, beginning his turn while doing so.

"It was fun while it lasted," Minato replied as he looked at his hand before the smallest hint of a smile showed up on his face. He drew his evoker and pointed it at the side of his head, much to the shock of the monsters and humans present.

"H-Hey!" Tetsuya gaped. "Dude, it's just a game! There's no need to-"

Minato was starting to get annoyed by the gossiping and talking before he decided to let his actions speak for him. "Orpheus."

BANG!

There was the sound of shattering glass as Orpheus Telos manifested itself onto the field with a shower of light, Penthesilea shifted into a shard of light as itself and two other cards from Minato's hand entered Orpheus' soul. There was no need for-

"You're Orpheus?" Valefor gasped as he got up, his eyes bright with excitement. "The famous Danger World musician?! I'm a huge fan! Can I have your autograph please?"

Both human and persona were confused by the sudden turn of events and responded with the exact same statement.

"What."

2.07

[Future Card Buddyfight / Persona 3]

"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Paruko berated Minato. "I was broadcasting that live! Who in the world shoots themselves in the head with their Core Gadget?!" The blue haired Looper's patience was beginning to unravel with each passing second. There was never this much of an outcry before when he used his Evoker in other Loops, and it was slowly but surely getting on his nerves.

Minato's primary Persona was awkwardly signing autographs to the various monsters that had suddenly shown out of the blue during the hasty intermission; the human could tell that Orpheus was not totally pleased by the sudden influx of fans. The Persona had already signed ten or so things already from recordings to armor to instruments; the line of monsters was just starting to get shorter and shorter.

Although apparently the real Orpheus had died, the other monsters didn't seem to care all that much about it. The mere fact that Orpheus was there in some way, shape, or form was more than enough for them.

"You're lucky I managed to censor it in time, or else I would have gotten dozen of complaints from it! What the heck is wrong with you!?" Paruko continued before she took a moment to catch her breath. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was frazzled.

"You done yet?" Minato asked bluntly. "The Evoker is harmless. It doesn't have any bullets. I don't see the problem with using it."

"The rest of us do! You're the only one who has absolutely no freaking problem SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE SKULL!" Paruko screamed. Minato winced at the volume before the announcer threw her hands into the air. "You know what, forget it. Just don't do it again. Just Buddycall your Buddy without using that thing next time!"

Although Minato couldn't really care less about what the announcer thought, he didn't want to sit through another ear-piercing lecture. It was just a waste of time to him. Therefore, the blue-haired teen sighed before tentatively agreeing.

"Good!" Paruko huffed before she reascended in her UFO. "Now that that's taken care of. Let's get back to the Buddyfight!"

Orpheus finished signing off the last item and the monsters had dispersed nearly instantly, happy to have gotten what they wanted. Valefar handed his autographed memorabilia to Tetsuya for safe-keeping before resuming his spot on the battlefield. He at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish.

"Sorry about that," the leather-jacketed monster apologized. "Your music inspired me to learn how to play guitar so I was a bit... excited to see you. So, thanks."

Orpheus blinked before he shrugged. "You're welcome," he replied before the battle started again.

"Alright then folks!" Paruko announced once she managed to calm herself down, "We're back at Aibo Academy from that intermission. There was some technical difficulties so the Buddyfight was paused for a few minutes. Now let's check out what kind of Buddy Minato has with him with the takoscope!" The announcer pulled out a pink scanner and pointed it at Orpheus' floating form.

"Master of Strings, Orpheus Telos. Attribute is Arcana, His statistics are... zero?" Paruko frowned before she hit the scope on the side and re-examined it, "Ah, there we go! Size is 2. He also has 7000 attack, 3 critical, and 8000 defense. He also has two plus Soul Guard. His first ability, Cipher, allows him to…. use the highest values and the abilities of the three monster cards in his soul?! What the heck?!"

"You've got to be kidding me." Tetsuya protested, "That's completely insane, yo!"

"Not my problem." Minato shrugged. "Execute Asmodai." The crimson Persona raised his hand and clenched. A jagged prison of ice engulfed the demon lord instantly within a millisecond, engulfing the monster completely in the enchanted ice. A single motion and the ice shattered instantly, dissolving Asmodai into countless fragments of light.

"Asmodai!" Tetsuya cried out in alarm at the destruction of his best friend.

"Whenever Orpheus destroys a monster, his second ability Victory Cry activates. Minato gains one life and two gauge! That's one insanely powerful Buddy Monster!" Paruko commented as Tetsuya and his monsters looked more and more unnerved.

Minato did not even hesitate for the smallest of moments. "Attack."

The crimson Persona leaped into the air, his lyre raised for a crushing blow. With the sound of shattering concrete, the blunt instrument crashed into Tetsuya, bringing his life down to 3.

"Cipher, activate." Minato intoned. "Double attack." For a second, Orpheus' form shifted briefly, revealing a demonic swordsman wielding two sharp blades, before the Persona brought his lyre around for a second attack.

"That's not cool, yo!" Tetsuya cried out before the heavy lyre slammed into his body one more time. His life total crumbled to zero and the Magic World flag shattered into countless motes of light.

GAME OVER! WINNER: MINATO ARISATO! The battle system announced. The monsters on both side of the field vanished in a sparkle of light and energy before Minato exhaled.

"Good game," Minato replied out of politeness. Tetsuya shook his head to clear the stars in his vision before getting back on his feet. But despite that, there was a huge grin on his face.

"That was a blast! Let's have a rematch again soon!"

Minato blinked in confusion before he nodded. "I guess if you want to..."

* * *

"Alright it's our turn up next!" Gao cheered as he and Drum took the stage. The dragon couldn't help but feel nervous at the opponent that he was facing up next.

He knew that Minato had vastly superior experience to the both of them, and if Orpheus was an indication to how powerful the Looper's cards were he wasn't sure if Gao would be able to win this early in the Loop.

Of course, that was only half of the problem. The thing that concerned the dragon the most was the person standing next to Minato.

"It's about time that you decided to let me have some fun too!" Ryoji yawned, stretching his arms lazily. "This was the main reason why I convinced you to start playing after all!"

"I thought you wanted me to 'come out of my shell'," Minato deadpanned. Ryoji's grin became cat-like and mischievous.

"It was killing two birds with one stone."

Paruko hovered next to Ryoji with a slight twitch in her brow, most likely due to Ryoji's previous attempts to flirt with her. "No humans other than the fighter are allowed on the field. Please go back to the stands."

Ryoji had the gall to wink at Paruko teasingly. "Now, now. Although I might look the part, I'm not actually human." The stadium erupted into whispers and chatter at Ryoji's casual remark. "It's just that my true form is a bit too scary for most people to handle. I don't want to give people nightmares tonight! Pleasant dreams on the-"

"Ryoji."

"Fine, fine…. You're no fun as usual. Come on, let's get started!"

Minato sighed the sigh of the damned once more before Paruko took her position above the fight.

"Alright! For our next match we have the loner transfer student Minato Arisato playing against the blazing hot newcomer Gao Mikado and his Buddy Drum! As you folks tuning in might have known, Gao's a new player but he has yet to lose a single game! Will this be his first loss? Let's find out!"

With a practiced motion Gao's Core Deck began to shine. "This dragon deck's going to go out with a bang! Luminze, Dragon Blast Fury!" With a flash of light the deck morphed into a gray belt and materialized around Gao's waist. The deck itself became a solar crest with a shining jewel on Gao's right hip.

Minato closed his eyes and exhaled, bringing out his deck once more. How the heck did they say stuff so cheesy and not even flinch? Whatever, it was his turn to get this over-with.

"The Arcana are the means by which all is revealed. Luminize, Arcana XIII: Death." With that declaration, the deck case shifted into the special Evoker that he had been using during the last match.

"Hey, you have more than one deck?!" Gao asked. Minato shrugged before Ryoji grinned.

"Not really. We just ended up changing a few cards around! We didn't change that many things!"

"Alright then. Raise the Flag! Dragon World's ready!" Drum bore a massive blue flag with a red and green coat of arms emblazoned on it. The dragon swung the flag left and right before planting it into the ground with almost casual ease.

The emblem of the Sea of Souls materialized next in its ethereal glory, pulsing with an unknown power.

"Sea of Souls. Let's get started." Minato declared before he concentrated, reaching deeply within his soul for the link between Ryoji and himself.

There was a pulse of ebony light that pulsed and swirled around Ryoji's human form. It swallowed the scarfed boy instantly before an eerie howl resonated throughout the room.

The cocoon of black light and energy burst and Thanatos, Harbinger of Nyx stepped forwards with its serrated blade drawn. The chains that bound the wing of coffins to Thanatos' shoulders rattled as the Persona brought forth the scream of the damned.

"W-What is that thing?!" Paruko stuttered. "That's your other Buddy?! The grim reaper?!"

Thanatos huffed. "I told you my form was scary. But anyway, it's Gao's turn, right?"

"Yeah!" Gao took a moment to regain his confidence. "I call Extreme Sword Dragon to the left!"

With a flash of light a massive dragon lumbered into existence. Polished silver armor covered the maroon scaled monster as is hefted a large zweihander with both hands. The silver knight's helm that it wore on his face was damaged by the scars of battle, revealing a single slitted eye brimming with intelligence and experience.

"Attack the fighter!" Gao called out. Extreme Sword Dragon stepped forward before it stopped. It was only then that he noticed the silver mask and the black cloaked specter of death standing right next to Minato. Thanatos snapped his jaws menacingly while Minato just looked as apathetic as usual.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" the dragon turned to Gao, gesturing over to the lingering harbinger of destruction that was lounging next to Minato. "That's Thanatos, the hunter of life and the bringer of death. I have my pride as an Armordragon but I'm not suicidal."

"He can't attack you yet, you'll be fine!" Gao reassured the dragon. Extreme sighed before he spread his wings. "Very well."

The dragon charged across the battlefield with a ground eating stride, his wings lifting his body upwards to ascend to the fighter's platform. He brought his heavy blade downwards to cleave the boy in two, but Minato's well-used reflexes kicked in and he dodged out of the way of the attack. The blade bit into the platform itself and scattered holographic shrapnel.

"You're not supposed to dodge it!" Gao protested. "You have to take the attack unless you cast a spell card!"

"Ah…" Minato replied as looked at the dragon's armored form and the blade that was just as big as he was. Extreme was trying very hard to ignore Thanatos' cold glare. The Persona twirled his sword idly, itching to cut the dragon into a dozen pieces. "Sorry about that. I dodged out of reflex. You can try again. I won't dodge."

Extreme raised his sword once more and slashed Minato across the chest, leaving sparks of light where the blade connected. His life total dropped from ten to seven in an instant. The dragon quickly resumed his position on Gao's side of the field. Thanatos gnashed his steel teeth together before he drew a claw across his own throat.

"My turn," Minato sighed as he drew his card. He frowned momentarily before he tossed the card into his Gauge and drew another one.

"Abel to the right." he intoned as a single card from his gauge burned away. With a swirl of light, an ethereal warrior materialized onto the battlefield. It hovered like a spirit in the air, clad with azure armor and a tattered cloak. A short mane of black and crimson hair jutted from the back of the warrior's triangular mask. It bore a large broadsword that glowed with radiant power.

"Abel's Kindred Blood activates. I call Cain to the center from my hand for free." There was a flash of light before a warrior in heavy violet armor emerged. Like the most of the other monsters that Minato had summoned, Cain's face was obscured by the tall tower-like helm it bore.

"Cain, attack Extreme Sword Dragon." Minato commanded.

Cain nodded once in acknowledgement before it kicked off from the platform it was standing upon, immediately entering close combat with Extreme. The dragon swung his massive sword towards the Persona, but it failed to even scratch on Cain's armor. The Persona lumbered forward and with speed that belied its form, parried the strike and sent Extreme Sword Dragon skidding backwards.

There was a whirl of machinery before Cain's left arm shifted and, bringing forth a large laser cannon that hummed with energy. Cain raised the gun upwards and fired, launching a bolt of energy that pierced through the dragon's body. The dragon couldn't even say a single word before his body dissolved into motes of energy.

"When Abel is on the field, Cain gets the Penetrate ability. He deals two damage to you." Cain aimed the gun once more towards Gao and fired off another bolt of energy. There was a flash of light as the bolt passed through Gao, leaving static and energy in its wake.

Drum grit his teeth, unable to do so much as interfere, as Gao's life total dropped to eight. The red haired boy regained his footing in a millisecond, but Minato was not done yet.

"Abel gets Double Attack when Cain is on the field. Attack the fighter."

Abel bared its sword before it vanished for his spot. The moment that Gao blinked, Abel was already in front of him with his sword raised to strike.

"Cast: Green Dragon Shield!" Gao cried out. Abel's blade slammed into the conjured shield with an explosion of force, nullifying the attack and converting into energy, sending his life total to nine.

"Double Attack." Minato commanded as the Abel brought his sword down upon Gao once more. This time, Gao did not have a spell to counter Abel's strike. The glowing blade cut Gao's body in half with a single swing, sending his life point total to six.

MOVE END! The system announced as Abel resumed his previous position. Gao panted in exhaustion before Drum helped him up on his feet.

"You alright?" the dragon asked. His partner nodded.

"I'll be fine, let's do this!" Gao grinned as he drew his next card. "We can still win this!"

Minato sighed as he watched Gao take his next turn. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was starting to have fun. Just a little.


End file.
